The Witness
by YJWriter
Summary: My name is Cassandra Knight and I have witnessed a horrible crime. To shield me from the wrath of Lex Luthor I have been placed into the protective custody of Young Justice. But Lex Luthor's revenge is nothing compared to what Deathstroke the terminator has in store for me.
1. Chapter 1

_**The Witness**_

**My name is Cassandra Knight and I have witnessed a horrible crime. To shield me from the wrath of Lex Luthor I have been placed into the protective custody of Young Justice. But Lex Luthor's revenge is nothing compared to what Deathstroke the terminator has in store for me.**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own cartoon network, dc comics, young justice, or any of the characters from the comics and or show Young Justice. **_

* * *

Cold fall air greeted me once I began to sprint down the sidewalk. My destination was only a couple of blocks away. The tiny neighborhood I live in is quiet and lifeless at night. I live on the very outskirts of Metropolis, and let me tell you, we don't see a lot of action unless you go into the heart of the city. I stop running in front of a small library on the corner of the street.

With a satisfied grin I approached the wall of the library and began to scale the side of it. Its roof is made entirely of glass windows. I removed the glass from the window pane and slip through the opening. I'm careful not to make a sound as I land. It was almost eerie how quiet it was in this place at night. Although libraries are notorious for being quiet atmospheres, there was always some kind of noise.

I walked silently to the back of the library where there was a circle of couches and chairs. I curled up on one of the arm chairs and rested my head on my knees. It was so quiet and peaceful here compared to my aunt and uncle's house. My eyes fluttered and I could feel myself beginning to fall asleep. My eyes were just about closed when a noise caught my attention and made my body tense up. Someone had just opened the back door.

As if an electrical shock had gone through my body I jumped up from the couch and sprinted over to the rows of book shelves. I hid behind one of the book shelves and crouched down so I wouldn't be seen by whoever had entered. I listened carefully and heard footsteps approaching where I was hiding. Three men from the sound of it. There was another sound accompanying them, a dragging sound, like an object being dragged against the carpet. They stopped in the middle of the circle of chairs and threw a man onto one of the couches.

The man was blind folded and had a particularly large strip of duct tape covering his mouth. His hands were tied securely behind his back. One of the other three men removed the blind fold and I had to cover my mouth with my hand to keep from letting out a gasp of shock and giving away my location. The bound and gagged man wasn't just anyone, but the Vice President of the United States.

I needed to do something, and quick. I began to run options through my mind. I had my cell phone but if I tried to call the police the men would hear me and I'd most likely face a fate worse than the Vice President's. I could try to run out of the library and then call, but the men would probably see me as I made my escape. The men most likely had guns; even if I knew how to fight they'd take me down before I even got close to the Vice President. I could hide and hope somehow the police know where to come. No, I'd never get that lucky.

"Now Mr. Vice President, let's get down to business," one of the men said. His cold stare had locked eyes with the Vice President and his glare was unwavering.

"I don't know why you have kidnapped me. If you want information you should have taken the President," the Vice President spat back.

Then an idea came to me. I took out my phone and quickly sent a message to my friend. I just prayed she'd get the message considering it was past one in the morning.

**I need you to call the police for me. NOW. Tell them to come to the library on 4****th**** street. It's an emergency.**

I was about to put my phone back away when I got another idea. I positioned the camera in between two books and hit record.

A different man bent down and spoke right in front of the Vice President's face. "We're not fools. We know that the President is just a puppet. You tell him what do to and what to say. I bet you even help him pick which tie he wears every day," he added the last part with a smirk.

A frown formed on the face of the Vice President. "Even if I did have the information you want, I won't give it to you. My security force will be here any minute; I don't need to tell you anything."

"That's quite unfortunate," one of the men said shaking his head, "The man who hired us wants you dead whether you speak or not. But we can give you options. We could kill you now, or you could give us the information we want. If you cooperate we'll give you more time. Wouldn't you like to at least say good bye to your family? Wouldn't you like to see your sweet little girl Elisa one more time?"

Oh god, where are the police? They're not seriously going to take down the Vice President are they? Where is the secret service? The army? Better yet, Metropolis is Superman's town, where is he?

"Who hired you?" the Vice President asked with gritted teeth.

The man wagged his finger, "Uh uh uh, our boss doesn't like to get his hands dirty. And they wouldn't stay very clean if we told you who it was."

"It's Luthor, isn't it?" the Vice President guessed.

The leader of the group grimaced. "We'll be the ones to ask the questions around here. What's the pass code to the defense system in D.C.?"

As I expected the Vice President turned away and refused to talk. I could tell he intended to stall long enough for his security to come to his rescue. It was a dangerous gamble to make.

"My duty is to my country. Did you really believe I would exchange the lives of millions of Americans for my own? Now that's just selfish. I knew there were risks with this job. I accepted that when I took my oath."

The leader took out a gun and held it to the Vice President's temple. "Fifteen,digit,code," the man said tapping the Vice President's temple with each word.

"Forgive me Madison and Elisa. God bless America," the Vice President said with a tone of resignation. He closed his eyes and I realized with horror what was about to happen.

The shot rang out into the air and broke the silence like glass shattering. I knew I shouldn't have looked, but I just couldn't tear my eyes away. The sound of the body hitting the floor snapped me out of my daze. I couldn't believe what I had just seen. _The _Vice President of the United States was dead.

"Come on, grab the body. You know how Luthor likes to see proof that the job got done."

Luthor?! So it really was Lex Luthor who hired the men to take out the Vice President. I need to get out of here. I need to tell someone.

I took a step back but stumbled and hit into the book shelf behind me. Crap! That was not quiet, not quiet at all! I grabbed my cellphone and turned the video off then shoved it back into my pocket.

"Hey, someone's here!"

"Show yourself!"

My heart pounded in my chest so hard I felt paralyzed with fear. My brain shouted for my legs to move but they felt like lead. The men are going to kill me for sure.

Gun shots were fired in my direction and my body finally began to function again. I crouched down and held my hands over my head. This was not good!

I felt a surge go through my body, like an adrenaline rush but something even stronger than that. It was like instinct took over, almost like I wasn't in control of my own body any more. My head screamed in fear to turn around but my body dragged me away from my hiding spot by the book shelf. I sprinted out and charged directly at the men.

The leader pointed his gun at me and I expected myself to freeze in fear. Except this time I didn't. Instead my leg snapped forward and kicked the gun out of the man's hand. Before my right leg even touched the ground the left came up and kicked the man across the head. The leader dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

I was just as surprised as the other two men. They took out their guns and began to shoot. I sprinted in between furniture to avoid being shot by their bullets. I jumped forward and put my hands out in front of me doing a front hand spring. I didn't know I could do that. And since when could I dodge bullets?!

One of the two men disregarded his gun and came at me with a fist. I ducked under his punch then popped up and hit him square in the jaw with my own. He stumbled backwards before regaining his balance again. He ran at me and grabbed me by the shoulder. I was spun around in a circle before he threw me into a nearby book shelf. That was going to hurt in the morning. A low growl was released from deep in my throat.

I got up and kicked him in the gut. He grunted and held his stomach in pain while his partner in crime came after me. I was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground. He aimed a gun in my face and I rolled out of the way right before the bullet could hit me. The bullet came way too close for comfort.

You've got to be kidding me. Where were the police? I spun my leg out and wrapped it around the enemy's leg taking him down. He hit his head against the wall and slumped over.

I didn't take the time to question how I was able to do any of that. All I did was run as fast as I could in the opposite direction. I didn't get far when I heard the sound of a gun being cocked. I spun around on my heel just fast enough to see the bullet hit me square in the chest. Black spots erupted across my vision and my hand flew to my chest as I felt myself falling backwards. It was as if someone had slowed down gravity as I fell. My back hit the ground with a thud. I tried to take deep breaths but it hurt. Man did it hurt bad.

The man who had shot me shook with quiet laughter. His laughing echoed off the walls of the library until a black figure dropped down behind him and punched the back of his head knocking him out. This mysterious black figure stood completely still, seemingly evaluating the situation. A minute later when it seemed he had come to his conclusion he approached me. It was so hard to see, my vision kept blurring in and out of focus.

"You've been shot," he said once he finally spoke. I no longer needed to see him; I knew who he was just from his voice. He was _the _Batman.

"Really? I hadn't noticed," I said back in a weak voice. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally jazzed that the Batman is here, but the bullet in my chest was starting to dampen my mood.

He walked around me then bent down and picked me up. The Batman held me bridal style and began to carry me out of the library as I heard the noise of squad cars pulling up. I couldn't believe it. I was in the arms of the Batman. So what if he felt like a rock, I've always dreamed of meeting him in person.

"What happened here?" he asked, emotion void from his voice.

"Three men brought in the Vice President. He was bound and gagged. Then they tried to get him to talk. Never answered. Man shot the VP. VP is dead," I tried to explain without using too much effort. Everything hurt.

"And you have witnessed all of this?" Batman interrogated in a monotone.

It felt like all the energy was being drained out of my body. I could barely keep my eyes open. The bullet wound throbbed painfully. I knew the end was nearing and he was trying to get as much information as he could.

"Not just witness, I have it on video. Phone in my pocket…video recording of everything," I choked out. I lifted my head up and starred at his cowl. "Best part of all—the men said they were hired by Luthor. Video proof that Luthor is a criminal…"

I saw the slits on his cowl widen slightly before returning to their usual position. Good, so he understood. The video evidence would help aid the case against Luthor and he'd finally be put away in jail where he belongs.

My eyes felt so heavy, I was just about ready to let them close. I thought of my parents and how I never got a chance to say good bye to them. It was too late. I tilted my head to the side and rested it on his armored chest.

"Good bye, Batman. It was nice to finally meet you," I said with a soft smile right before my eyes closed. I would die in the arms of the hero I had admired since I was a child. At least now, I can say I died happy.

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Thank you so very much for reading :) Let me know what you think. Review/Favorite/Alert, all that jazz. It's greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Witness**_

**My name is Cassandra Knight and I have witnessed a horrible crime. To shield me from the wrath of Lex Luthor I have been placed into the protective custody of Young Justice. But Lex Luthor's revenge is nothing compared to what Deathstroke the terminator has in store for me.**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own cartoon network, dc comics, young justice, or any of the characters from the comics and or show Young Justice.**_

_**This chapter is dedicated to Randomkitty101**_. _**Thank you so much for all your support and your review!**_

* * *

Robin wasn't in a good mood. Robin wasn't in a good mood because Batman wasn't in a good mood. Now it was hard enough to stay cheery around Batman when he was his normal brooding self, but when he was in a bad mood it was more contagious than the common cold. It also didn't help that the big blue Boy Scout that usually cheered everyone up was in the worst mood of all. But who could blame him, the Vice President was killed in his city while he was on an off world mission and the press were having a field day blaming the tragedy on him.

What bothered Robin the most was the unintentional cold shoulder Batman was giving him. It been happened a lot when Batman became deeply embedded in a new case. Robin knew it must be something big considering Batman had all but thrown him out of the Batcave.

He had just heard the news about the death of the Vice President and he could only deduce Batman's case had something to do with that. Sure, he could hack into the Justice League data base and find out what was going on, but the last time he did that Batman had reprimanded him. Last time it led to the rescue of Superboy, so he was eventually let off the hook. Robin knew Batman wouldn't go so easy on him if he found out he hacked the Justice League for a second time merely to quench his curiosity.

Once again Robin was left out of the loop while Batman only gave him a weak promise to fill him in later. Apparently this case was for the Justice League only, no sidekicks. Or so it seemed. He couldn't help but feel a bit bitter and his thoughts drifted back to what Speedy—correction, Red Arrow, had said. With nowhere else to go Robin used the zeta to teleport to the cave.

The computer announced his arrival as the bright light of the zeta beams transported him into the cave entrance. He walked into the lounge where Wally and Kaldur were watching tv. Robin drew near the couch and vaulted over the top landing neatly next to Wally. Wally fumbled with the bowl of popcorn he had in his lap.

"Dude! Warn a guy, would you? You know I hate it when you go all ninja and pop out of nowhere," Wally complained before balancing the popcorn back in place. Robin smiled a mischievous grin at successfully making Wally jump.

"Hello Robin. Have you heard the recent news?" Kaldur asked.

"About the death of the Vice President?" Robin asked for clarification. Kaldur nodded. "Yeah, how could I not, it's been all over the news. Are there any new developments?"

"Shhh, they're talking about it now!" Wally said hushing them and grabbing the remote to turn up the volume.

"This is Cat Grant with your news update. It's a tragic day in America. The death of the Vice President of the United States has been confirmed. A shocking new development reveals the top suspect responsible for the murder is Lex Luthor. Although Lex Luthor did not directly confront the Vice President, an eye witness at the scene of the murder states three men were hired to extort information from the Vice President and then kill him. The Vice President refused to give them the information they wanted and he was shot in the head. The eye witness reports after the murder the men stated they were hired by Luthor."

"Not only has the murder been witnessed, but according to police it was captured on video along with clear audio of the men admitting to being hired by Luthor. The video is being reviewed by police forces and will not be released to the public until Luthor's trial. With Luthor campaigning for the 2016 Presidential elections, the motivation fits. Police have Lex Luthor under arrest and his trial has been moved to top priority in the highest court. We'll have another update tonight at 8. This is Cat Grant, signing off."

"Lex Luthor?!" Wally exclaimed once the reporter stopped talking. "Wow, an eye witness and video. That's going to be hard for Luthor to fight against, not to mention if he was that sloppy he probably has more evidence against him out there somewhere. Imagine if they actually prove it was him…"

"If the King's second in command was killed in cold blood the citizens responsible would be tried with the highest treason. I assume the circumstances are similar here?" Kaldur asked.

Robin gave a curt nod. "Capital punishment. We've always known Luthor was a monster, but no one has ever been able to provide the proof. This could possibly be Lex Luthor's downfall."

Wally was about to open his mouth to make a comment when they heard an alert from the mission room. There was an incoming video message. The three boys walked over to see who it was. Batman's face appeared on the screen with his usual hard expression.

"Team, report to the cave for mission briefing," Batman said.

M'gann and Superboy joined them in front of the screen followed by Artemis a minute later. Once they were all there Batman began to explain their next mission.

"As you all may be aware the Vice President of the United States was murdered last night. Their prime suspect Lex Luthor will be tried in court a week from now. A crucial part of the trial will be a testimonial given by the eye witness who videotaped the murder. There is a high possibility Lex Luthor will attempt to eliminate the eye witness before she can testify. It's your mission to protect her at all cost until the trial is over."

The team exchanged glances with each other. Superboy crossed him arms not pleased with the so called mission to be a glorified babysitter. Wally looked equally displeased but knew better than to run his mouth in front of Batman.

A second page appeared to the left of where Batman's video message was. A teenage girl about the age of sixteen appeared with dark brown hair and contrasting light blue eyes. Her skin looked delicate and pale against her dark hair. "You will personally be responsible for the safety of the witness Cassandra Knight."

"Cassandra Knight? But isn't she the daughter of—"

"She will be relocated to Gotham to live with her uncle and his wife who have offered to take her in," Batman interrupted Robin and gave him a batglare daring him to finish the previous sentence. "She will attend Gotham Academy. When she is not with her uncle and not at school she will be staying at the cave. You are not to let her out of your sight. Is that clear?" The team nodded in unison.

"Where is she right now?" Kaldur asked Batman.

"The medical bay at the cave," he answered stoically.

"Why is she in the medical bay?" Artemis was the first to ask.

"She is currently recovering from a bullet wound in the chest received at the scene of the murder. Your mission starts now," he said before the screen went black.

"That's so sad," M'gann said once the mission briefing was over. "Not only did she witness a murder but she was also hurt. The poor girl," she sympathized.

Conner gave a small nod in agreement. "We should go to the medical bay, right?" he asked glancing at Robin.

"Yeah, Batman wants us to keep guard even if she's in the medical bay," Robin said. He walked down the hall towards the medical bay. They stood outside the doors keeping guard like they were ordered. It didn't take long for Wally to slump against the wall in boredom.

"Worst mission yet. Hey Rob, what were you going to say before Batman cut you off?" Wally asked.

"I don't think Batman wanted me to talk about her family history," Robin answered.

"Her family? Why, do you know her?" Artemis asked.

Robin merely shrugged and before they could pester him for more answers Red Tornado came out of the medical bay. "She has been stabilized and vitals reveal she shall awaken soon. You may enter."

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly expecting to see a tunnel of white light or something. Nope, instead, I woke up to see six costume clad teenage superheroes staring at me. To be honest it was making me really self-conscious.

"Hi?" I said but it came out more like a question. I knew who they were of course; they were the teen justice league. Young Justice the news had called them. I could recognize and name them all, but I didn't quite understand why I was in the same room as them.

"Sweet, she speaks!" Kid Flash said with a goofy smile.

"Yes, _she _does," I said crossing my arms.

"Not like I said it," Kid Flash said with a shrug. Superboy seemed to find something about his remark humorous. Superboy didn't laugh, but his expression relaxed and if I had blinked I would have missed the corners of his lips turn up into a small smile then return to a neutral expression.

"Would someone do me a favor and explain how I ended up in a hospital bed surrounded by Young Justice?" I asked generally confused with the entire situation.

Kaldur stepped forward. "You are in the medical bay of the headquarters of the Young Justice. It is located in Happy Harbor. You have been taken into our protection to insure you are able to testify against Lex Luthor in court."

"Right, right," I murmured as the details started to come back to me.

"Do you remember what happened?" M'gann asked me.

"It's really hazy. I remember seeing the Vice President get shot, and then… the last thing I remember is getting shot myself. It's like there's a gap in the middle."

"Temporary amnesia?" Artemis asked uncertain.

"I got shot in the chest, not the head. I shouldn't have amnesia," I said equally uncertain.

"The memory gap happens after seeing the Vice President get shot and then returns once she was attacked. I'm going to go with the trauma and stress that resulted from seeing the VP get shot triggered the brain to repress the memory. It may come back to you, it may not. But stayed whelmed, it's a normal reaction," Robin told me.

Something about him seemed so familiar. Maybe it was my imagination or maybe he was just one of those people that you swear you've met before but really haven't.

"How long am I going to be stuck in this medical bed?" I asked. I didn't like the immobility of the situation and frankly the room seemed to be getting smaller by the minute with the other six teenagers in here.

Robin picked up the chart that was hanging on the side of the bed. He seemed to be reading off the report the robot man Red Tornado had left behind. The corner of the right side of his lip pulled down into a slanted frown. I couldn't imagine what would make him show that expression. The report didn't have anything abnormal. I would know, I looked at it myself.

The report entailed of the removal of the bullet, stiches, and morphine. I was a bit suspicious of how they got hold of side details like my parents' names and their blood types. Some parts of the form had me raising an eye brow, such as the section that asks what species the patient is. Someone had written human on the line and below it the form asked if the patient had any abilities. The word none was scribbled on that line.

I figured the form was usually used for super heroes and that was the reason it asked such stranger questions. I also figured they had no other forms to use when they had an unsuspecting human guest in their medical bay and decided to fill it out thoroughly even though half the questions on there didn't apply to me.

I wasn't paying attention as I ran these thoughts through my head and once I was done I realized Kid Flash and Robin had started a side conversation.

"Rest shall aid you in a quick recovery. Miss Martian will stay in the room with you and Robin shall keep guard outside of the room. Shifts will be rotated between team members to ensure you have constant protection," Kaldur told me. His voice was smooth and calm. I could tell he was doing his best to make me feel more relaxed and it almost worked. He gave me a gentle smile before leaving the room. The other team mates followed his example leaving only Miss Martian and Robin.

"I'll be right outside the room," Robin said before leaving as well. The door closed behind him with a swish and then it was just Miss Martian and me.

"Sorry you got stuck on Cassandra duty," I apologized to her.

"Oh don't be sorry, this is nice. I like making more friends. It's a nice change to have another female friend. Artemis is a great friend, but she's the only other girl on the team," she said to me. "I have many sisters back on Mars, but I haven't communicated with them much since I came to Earth."

So she already considered me her friend. I guess Miss Martian really was as friendly as they say she is. Her tone seemed sad when she mentioned her home back on Mars.

"What was it like coming to Earth from Mars?" I asked.

"Thrilling but frightening at the same time. I was so excited to experience the Earth culture from the stories my Uncle J'on had told me. But it was also scary to adjust."

"And your parents were ok with you coming to Earth?"

Miss Martian gave me a sheepish smile. "They actually didn't find out I left until I was already on Earth. I was a stole away on my uncle's ship. It was hard to leave them, but life on Mars wasn't always pleasant."

"Do you ever miss them?"

"Yes. I feel home sick at times and miss my family, but I have also made a new family here with the team."

I nodded in understanding. She had just told me so much about her personal life, I felt the need to tell her a bit about mine. "Yeah, I get what you mean. My parents travel a lot for their jobs. They're professional sports trainers. Anything from extreme Frisbee to Martial Arts, they've done it. I don't get to see them a lot. I want them to be happy though. Every time they come back from a trip they seem elated."

Miss Martian gave me a sympathetic smile. "They must miss you too."

"I'd like to think so," I said with a small chuckle. She laughed with me.

For a while we exchanged small talk together. I laid back on the mountain of pillows and closed my eyes. Miss Martian sat in the corner of the room in a chair for the remainder of her shift. My eyes were closed but I couldn't sleep. I listened to the noises around me. That's when I heard Robin speak into his communicator. He must have assumed I was asleep and didn't think I'd hear him.

"Robin to Batman. No, security has not been breached. We need to talk about Cassandra…"

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_**Thanks so much for reading!**_


	3. Chapter 3

**My name is Cassandra Knight and I have witnessed a horrible crime. To shield me from the wrath of Lex Luthor I have been placed into the protective custody of Young Justice. But Lex Luthor's revenge is nothing compared to what Deathstroke the terminator has in store for me.**

Disclaimer: I do not own cartoon network, dc comics, young justice, or any of the characters from the comics and or show Young Justice.

**~This chapter is dedicated to the wonderful and amazing AsiraK-KarisA! She has been reviewing and helping me brainstorm! She was even kind enough to let me use her OC Juliet! I don't know where I'd be without her. Go check out her stories, especially Iridescent, I highly recommend it!~**

_***AN***_ I forgot to mention for the sake of the story I'm changing their ages a little bit. The character's ages are as follows:  
Robin- 15  
Kid Flash- 17  
Aqualad-18  
Miss Martian-18  
Superboy-18  
Artemis- 17

* * *

"You wanted to talk about Cassandra," Batman stated later that day in the Batcave. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Robin had used the zeta tube to teleport to the Batcave once his shift was over and was now talking with Batman.

The team's mission had been going smoothly, yet very slowly. Each person took turns on shift. Some members' shifts were more enjoyable than others. While Miss Martian enjoyed spending time with another female at the cave, Superboy felt uncomfortable and resented their mission. Cassandra had been sleeping on Superboy's shift and he commented on how the walls could have done just as good of a job watching over her as he did.

Now that Robin was in the Batcave he was itching to ask Batman some questions that had been on his mind. "Is Cassandra Knight related to Isabella and Mark Knight?"

"Yes," Batman answered simply. Batman didn't seem surprised by the subject of his question and it was no doubt due to Robin's almost slip up during the mission briefing.

"Is she their daughter?" Robin continued to ask questions he was already certain he knew the answers to.

"Yes."

"Then she is the same Cassandra Knight that Dick Grayson befriended four years ago," Robin said. This time it wasn't a question. "Do you really think it's wise to have me on this mission? She's my friend, my judgement may be impaired."

"She _was_ your friend. It's been over a year since you last spoke to her. Things change. You're not the same person you were then and neither is she. Your identity must not be revealed."

"Right, Cassandra was friends with Dick, not Robin," he said with a soft sigh of realization. "And if I try to rekindle our friendship while protecting her as Robin I will put both our identities at risk."

"Correct. I trust you will keep your identity a secret," Batman said. He didn't dismiss Robin and he knew Batman suspected he had more questions. Which he did.

"Her medical chart says she is human and has no powers. How is that possible? With Mark's super strength and Isabella's ability to fly Cassandra should have some kind of super power."

Batman closed the file he was looking at on the computer and turned his chair 90 degrees.

"Genetics are very complicated. They become even more complicated once super human abilities are involved. Dr. Atom has been conducting research on mutated and super human genes for years."

Robin let the information sink in. "Really? What did he find out?"

"Four years ago Cadmus began an experiment to combine the genetics of different super powered humans to create the ultimate weapon. Each experiment failed to show any results," Batman said.

He typed on the keyboard and pulled up a file. "The Justice League stopped Cadmus before they could attempt more experiments." _Or so we thought, Batman added mentally. _"Afterwards Dr. Atom was asked to research their work. He discovered that when two or more super powered genes are combined there is a high chance they will cancel each other out."

"How high of a chance?" Robin asked.

"90%. A child has a better chance of receiving super powers if only one parent has the superpower gene. Dr. Atom believes this prevents any single person from becoming too powerful. It's not impossible, but it is a very rare and complicated process for the DNA of two different super powered parents to combine."

"That explains Superboy," Robin said.

"Yes, Cadmus attempted to fuse Superman's DNA into one and the results were unstable. That is why half of his DNA is human."

The conversation had seemed to veer slightly off course and Robin still had so many questions he wanted answers to.

"Why has Young Justice been assigned to protect Cassandra? Her parents are Marvoman and Marvowoman. Between his super strength and her flight I'm pretty sure they could protect her," Robin said in confusion.

He couldn't think of a logical reason why Marvoman and Marvowoman wouldn't be the ones to protect their daughter. Even if they were supposed to be working you'd think their daughter's safety would be more important.

"There are certain circumstances that prevent Marvoman and Marvowoman from being the ones to protect her."

A frown formed on Robin's face. "But what circumstances could possib- she doesn't know?!" Robin asked in surprise.

"No."

"How could she not know? How could they not tell her?"

Batman's lips were pressed together in a firm line. "That is none of our business."

"Don't you think they should tell her?" Robin asked.

"I need to return to Mount Justice," he said standing up from his chair and avoiding the question. Without another word he left the cave and Robin knew he was supposed to follow after him. There was a flash of light from the zeta and Robin sighed as he left the cave to be teleported to Mount Justice.

* * *

When I opened my eyes the next time, the dark figure clad in black was standing by the side of my bed. The teenagers from Young Justice were gone and he was the only other person in the room. The bright luminescent lights that had been on previously were now dimmed.

I looked up into the face, I mean, cowl of the Batman. His eyes were covered but his mouth wasn't. In all of the pictures I had ever seen him in he had always worn a frowning or emotionless expression.

Whenever he spoke on the behalf of the Justice League his facial expressions were bland and his tone was serious and gruff.

There was something different. The corners of his mouth were pulled up ever so slightly. It was nowhere near a smile, not even close. But it was different.

"You're finally awake," he said. If I wasn't mistaken his tone was higher, lighter than it had been in the library. He sounded... amused? No, that couldn't be right, rumor had it Batman didn't have a sense of humor.

"Yeah, and feeling much better. I guess I have you to thank, huh?"

"You could say that," he said. There it was again. In an alternative universe he might have laughed after saying that.

What could he possibly find to be humorous? Then it hit me. I had made a complete fool of myself in front of him at the library. After being shot I had acted like those were my last moments. No doubt he knew I was going to be just fine and found my dramatics ridiculously pathetic.

I felt my face burn with embarrassment just thinking of how stupid Batman must think I am. "Did you watch the video?" I asked trying to stay off the topic of our first encounter.

"Yes. The video will serve as primary evidence in Lex Luthor's case. You will testify as well."

He didn't ask me if I wanted to testify, he told me I was going to. I already got the impression he was a very stern guy.

Batman took out my cell phone and held it out for me to take. I thanked him then grabbed the phone. And not a moment too soon. Right after he handed it to me it rang. Wait...did Batman know it was about to ring? Creepy!

I didn't even check who it was but merely answered right away.

"Hello?"

"Cassandra Elizabeth Knight! Did you get lost in the Bermuda Triangle or something? I've called you at least ten times!" Well that explains how Batman knew it was going to ring.

"Juliet."

"Do you know how distraught I have been? You ask me to call the police for you at one in the morning then have the gall-no, the brazenness, not to call me to expound what happened!"

I held the phone an inch away from my ear because she was being so loud. Batman could hear each word perfectly clear.

"Juliet, I-"

"Was there a robbery? Did you get in trouble? Absolutely not, you requested the police to be there because of a certain happenstance involving the Vice President that I ascertained this morning when I turned on the news!"

"JULIET!"

"What?"

"First of all, you're using big words again. Not that I can't understand you but I know your vocabulary explodes when you're frustrated. I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean to worry you and I really appreciate your help."

"Of course you do, where would you be without me?" Juliet joked.

Juliet was my best friend. We had been through the best and the worst together. Her intelligence was way out of my league and the number of books she has read is probably more than my school library owns.

"Without you I'd be lost in the Bermuda Triangle," I joked back with a roll of my eyes even though she couldn't see me.

"Now that I got my frustration out of the way, what is going on? Where are you? I went to your aunt and uncle's but they only slammed the door in my face after telling me you weren't home."

I held my hand over the phone to block out any noise from going through. "What do I tell her?"

"Nothing. These matters don't concern her," he answered.

"She's the one who called the police for me! She's not stupid and has already put the pieces together. I can't just tell her nothing!" I hissed in a whisper.

He seemed to think about what I said for only a split second before saying, "Your testimony against Lex Luthor will be on public record. You may tell her that you have witnessed a crime and have been put in protective services."

"Here's the thing, I went to the library because my aunt and uncle were arguing again. After I got there three men dragged in the Vice President. They attempted to interrogate him and when he wouldn't answer they killed him. I witnessed it and videotaped it. Luthor is being tried in court and I'm needed as a witness to testify against him. I can't do that if I'm dead so Young Justice has been assigned to act as protective services until the trial is over. Does that answer all your questions?"

The slits on Batman's mask narrowed in disapproval. His burning glare told me I had said more than he wanted me to.

"Oh, is that all?" Juliet said sarcastically in response. "And this protective service is in Happy Harbor?"

I frowned, "How did you know that?" I asked.

"Don't act so surprised, it wasn't that hard to track the GPS on your phone," Juliet said as if it was elementary.

Batman also frowned and didn't seem too fond of the fact that a sixteen year old girl could track me. Because if she could do it, then certainly Luthor could as well.

"Oh great," I groaned, "Now he's going to take my phone away," I said with a pout.

"He? Who's he?" Juliet questioned.

"Don't worry, everything is fine. And it will continue to be that way. I'll talk to you later, Einstein," I said before hanging up the phone call and dropping my phone into Batman's waiting gloved hand.

"You're only putting yourself in danger," Batman stated.

"Well excuse me for wanting to talk to my only friend," I said with more attitude than I intended. "I-I'm sorry. I'll quit with the attitude. I'm just a bit on edge. Every minute I expect something bad to happen. Talking to Juliet finally calmed me down a bit, and now I can't even do that anymore. Now I have to worry that someone tapped the phone, or that their tracking me right now. What if they track Juliet?" I began to ramble. What was wrong with me? Batman surely had better things to do than listen to me panic about every what if scenario.

"I can assure you your safety has been made our top priority. You will stay at Mount Justice for tonight. Tomorrow you will be transferred to Gotham to stay with your Uncle John and Aunt Sara. You will attend Gotham Academy where two members of Young Justice will be disguised as students and on site if anything were to happen. For safety purposes I cannot tell you which of the students they will be."

For some reason I felt like he was trying to comfort me, yet he acted more like he was giving me a mission debriefing than reassuring me everything would be ok. Regardless I felt a twinge of happiness at the mention of my Uncle John and Aunt Sara. Unlike my Uncle Ben and Aunt Audrey in Metropolis, who treated me horribly, I actually liked John and Sara.

"Does this mean I'm cleared to leave the medical bay?" I asked.

Batman nodded to answer my question. Before I could let out a cheer of joy something else came to mind.

"Hold up, Gotham Academy? Isn't that place for young geniuses? How did you manage to get me into there?" I had to ask. I remembered Juliet telling me about how she applied for a scholarship there and also how she attempted to get me to apply as well. I may be smart, but I'm not a genius.

"I have connections," was his only answer before he left like a cloud of smoke. One second he was there, the next he wasn't. That was Batman for you.

I shrugged and decided to take his word for it. From the lounge I heard bickering between what sounded like Artemis and Kid Flash. I left the medical bay to investigate.

"Look, beautiful, I'm not saying that women aren't strong. I'm just saying, it's physically impossible for them to be as strong as a man. Let's be honest, in this day and age girls just have to stand there and look pretty. Men do the real work," Wally said waving his hand in Artemis's direction for emphasis.

Artemis scoffed in disgust, "Stand there and look pretty? You've got to be kidding me! You're nothing without your super powers. Do you know how much training and hard work went into my archery?"

"Yeah, from Sportsmaster," Wally said under his breath.

"You're insufferable Baywatch!" Artemis shouted crossing her arms.

"Enough you two," Kaldur intervened once their argument became less entertaining and more agitating.

I leaned against the wooden frame separating the lounge from the kitchen. Although the team had probably heard Artemis and Kid Flash fight every day and were sick of it, I found it amusing. Their fighting was amusing to me because they were a classic case of lovers in denial. I could read their personalities like a book. Artemis was too headstrong to ever admit she liked Kid Flash and Kid Flash was too afraid of being shot down and mocked by Artemis if she didn't return his feelings. Typical, boy likes girl, girl likes boy, and neither have the guts to do anything about it. I just might have to meddle a little later…

Robin looked up and noticed me standing off to the side. He flashed me a cheery smile. "Hey, Cassandra," he greeted. The rest of the team looked my way once he had noticed me.

"Hey, Robin," I greeted back. I walked into the lounge and sat on the edge of an empty spot on the green couches.

"How are you feeling?" Kaldur asked me.

"Better, thanks. Batman gave me a clean bill of health and said I don't need to stay in the medical bay anymore."

"That's great news!" M'gann said clapping her hands together. I gave her a smile in return.

"I believe introductions are in order. I am the leader of the team, Aqualad. In Atlantis I am Kaldur'ahm, but you may call me Kaldur."

I nodded. The introductions were completely unnecessary. I already knew who they were from hearing about them in the news. But I supposed even if this was true it was polite manners to give formal introductions. "Nice to meet you, Kaldur."

Kid Flash jumped up from his spot on the couch and ran by my side. "West, Wally West. Or Kid Flash, which ever you prefer. See, I already trust you with my secret identity."

"I guess it's only fair, I'm trusting you with my life," I joked. Wally laughed at my joke and Robin snickered.

"Don't worry gorgeous, your life is in good hands," he said with a wink. I raised an eye brow at that comment and didn't like the way Artemis seemed to glare at Wally.

M'gann swooped in to end the awkwardness that had shifted into the atmosphere. "Hi, I'm Miss Martian or M'gann. But I also go by Megan; it's an Earth name."

"I like the name Megan, it fits you," I said. Her face seemed to brighten (if that's even possible, it was already pretty bright) at my comment.

"Superboy. I've been given the Earth name Conner Kent," Superboy said from the wall he was leaning against. His tone seemed bitter as he said his last name. Noted.

"Nice to meet you, Superboy."

"Yeah yeah yeah, you guys are so slow. Pony tail over there is Artemis Crock. Also uses her first name as her super hero title. Who does that? And Mr. Sunglasses over there can't give out his identity so we just call him Robin. I know I'm a speedster, but doesn't it bother you people to be so…slow?" Wally asked.

"Thanks, _Wallace,_ but I was perfectly capable of introducing myself," Artemis muttered. Wally scowled at the use of his full name.

"Trust me, you'll get used to them eventually," Robin whispered to me in regards to Artemis and Wally. I nodded with a smile. I was already starting to get used to it here. It was nice just to be surrounded by other teenagers for once. That was, until Batman's voice was projected through the cave from the screen in the mission room.

"Team, report for mission briefing." The team quickly got up from the seats and became serious once again. They reported to the mission room and I hung back not knowing exactly what to do.

"Since Lex Luthor's arrest, Luthor Corp's main building of operation has been evacuated and the perimeter has been guarded by Metropolis PD. Just recently a distress signal has been sent to the Justice League and the MPD have requested back up. Four men have been spotted infiltrating the West entrance. Anything taken or destroyed at Luthor Corp can hinder the ongoing investigation involving the Vice President's murder. It is your mission to remove the threat with minimal damage. Two members are to remain at the cave, no exceptions."

"Which two members are to stay at the cave?" Kaldur asked.

"As the leader I will leave you to decide who stays behind. Choose quickly and report to the bioship," he said before his image disappeared from the screen.

Kaldur didn't approve of having to pick who got to go on the mission and who didn't, but as leader he knew he had to make the tough decisions. Using the most logical approach he decided who would stay. "We will need Miss Martian for her telekinetic link, Robin for his knowledge of stealth and hacking, and Kid Flash to perform quick wide perimeter sweeps. Superboy and Artemis shall remain at the cave."

"You can't be serious," Superboy growled. I flinched knowing I was part of the reason for his frustration.

"I am sorry, Superboy, but I do not have time to further explain my decision. Team, we have a mission," Kaldur said before sprinting to the jet hanger where the bioship was waiting. Robin, Miss Martian, and Kid Flash ran after him. Well, Miss Martian flew, but you get the point.

I slowly walked away from the fuming Superboy and towards Artemis. "You seem…relatively happy for someone who just got booted out of a mission," I remarked.

"Are you kidding? I could use a night off. Usually I'd be mad that I didn't get to go on the mission, but it's nice to get a break every once in a while," she said with a shrug. Artemis walked over to the kitchen area where a stack of books were sitting on the counter. She pulled one off the top of the stack and went to work.

Now I was beginning to understand where she was coming from. Balancing the life of a super hero and a normal teenager must be tough. I glanced over at the lounge where Superboy was sitting on the couch watching tv. Actually, he wasn't watching tv, he was watching static. Against my better judgment I sat down next to him and watched the static. I wonder how the rest of the team is doing.

* * *

"_Kid Flash, continue perimeter sweep. M'gann, get an aerial view of the building while Robin and I search the main floors," Kaldur said through the mental link._

"_On it," Miss Martian replied. _

"_You don't even want to know what mess it is down here. It looks like the security guards that were on duty tonight were attacked. Whatever attacked them is long gone now. Currently no threat in sight," Kid Flash reported._

"I'm hacking into the main security system now. I'll pull up the security video to see just who we're dealing with. Watch my back," Robin told Aqualad.

"How much time do you need?" Aqualad asked as he took a defensive stance in front of Robin.

"Two more minutes," Robin barely got the words out of his mouth when someone came crashing through the ceiling and into the room.

"We may not have two minutes," Aqualad said. He pulled out his water-bearers and aimed them at the man dressed in black and orange. His face was completely covered by a metal mask.

"_Robin and I have come into contact with one of the intruders. Rendezvous on level five," Kaldur mentally alerted Miss Martian and Kid Flash._

Kid Flash ran into the room followed by Miss Martian who phased through the upper levels to join them.

"Rob, forget the hacking, we have company," Kid Flash said as three more of the mysterious men dressed in black and orange entered the room and circled around the teenage heroes.

"Sooo not feeling the aster tonight," Robin said. His eyes scanned the group of men. Each held a different type of weapon. He picked out the man holding the metal staff and marked that one as his target.

Kid Flash didn't wait for a battle plan from Aqualad. He charged straight into the first man closest to him. Kid Flash aimed a punch at the man's gut but his fist stopped short and was caught in the palm of the enemy. An electrical shock was sent through the black gloved hand of the man and Kid Flash collapsed on the ground.

"_Kid Flash!" Miss Martian shouted over the mental link. _She rushed over to help her fallen comrade.

Robin used the moment of distraction to leap up into the rafters. He silently maneuvered his way across the support beams until he was directly above his target.

Aqualad felt power and water surge through his water-bearers. He swung towards one of the men who ducked under his attack. He brought his second water-bearer around in retaliation and this time the man wasn't able to dodge it. The man's head snapped backwards and he stumbled into the wall. Seemingly unaffected by the attack the man jumped up and drew a sword towards Aqualad. Miss Martian used her telekinesis to stop the man in midair.

"_Miss M, look out!" Robin shouted mentally as he spotted a man come at her from behind. _

Robin jumped down from his spot in the rafters and knocked down the man who was about to attack Miss Martian. Once Robin was on the ground he helped Kid Flash.

"Dude, your suit is smoking," Robin said. He watched as wisps of smoke rose from Kid Flash's yellow suit.

Kid Flash groaned, "It hurts worse than it looks."

The men stood up with mechanical stiffness and began a second round of attacks. This time each person had a one on one fight with the men.

"This isn't making any sense," Robin said as he jumped over a low kick and provided a midlevel kick of his own. "Quick, Miss Martian, try to read one of their minds."

Miss Martian had just thrown a filing cabinet at the man she was fighting. "But, I thought—"

"Just do it," Robin said. The man he was fighting just kept coming back no matter what he hit him with. He flipped the man onto his back.

Aqualad had begun a tag team effort with Kid Flash. Kid Flash would distract the two men by running circles around them while Aqualad would finish them with short swift attacks.

"I can't read his mind. Hello Megan! They're robots!" Miss Martian said in comprehension.

"I thought so. A group of robots were sent to attack. Robots that could take any amount of damage and still continue to fight. The only reason for that would be… no! It's a distraction!" Robin shouted. It all made sense to him now. He had been wondering why the enemy's attacks weren't strong yet persistent.

"Well that's just great!" Kid Flash said. Now he didn't hold back and bashed in the head of a robot.

Robin ran back to the computer he was previously hacking. He searched through the security feed and his eyes widened in fear. "Aqualad, we've got trouble! A bomb is about to go off in 40 seconds!"

* * *

For an hour I sat in the lounge watching static with Superboy. Neither of us said a word and quite frankly I didn't mind. It was like watching rain against a window. You weren't going to see anything in it but it was nice just to stare at. You didn't have to think, all you had to do was drift into absentmindedness. Most people would say something like, _"Hey Superboy, aren't you going to turn the tv shows on?" _

Superboy seemed to snap of out his gaze. He turned towards me and asked, "You're still here?" He didn't ask in a rude way, rather he was generally confused why I would sit there for an hour starring at static. I'm guessing no one else had bothered to stick around when he did this.

"Yeah, I was actually enjoying it," I told him with genuine truth in the statement.

This appeared to confuse him even more. "Why?"

"It's…kinda hard to explain. But when I stare at the screen, it's like I don't have to think. I can just sit here, and not think; not worry. For a short amount of time, nothing else matters. It's so mind numbing it's almost nice!"

"Yeah, sometimes it's nice not to have to think," Superboy said in a melancholy tone.

"What is it that you don't want to think about, Superboy?" I asked sincerely.

"If I told you, wouldn't that require me to think about it?" Superboy said pointing out the flaw in my question. I suppose he was right.

"Alright, different question then. Why do you hate me so much?"

Superboy was taken aback by my question, that I could tell right away. "I don't hate you," he answered clearly confused.

I turned in my spot to face him. "Ever since I got here you've seemed so cold around me. You won't even look me in the eye."

"It's not you," he said gruffly. "It's this mission! I want a real mission."

I could see he was starting to get worked up and this topic was sensitive to him. For some reason instead of backing down I continued to ask questions.

"Why is that? Artemis is happy to have a break, but you have the exact opposite reaction," I claimed.

"How am I supposed to prove myself to Superman if I'm just sitting around the cave doing nothing!" Superboy said pounding his fist down on the couch.

"Oh, I see, so this is about Superman," I said thoughtfully.

"Stop trying to act like Black Canary!" Superboy said standing up angrily.

I was shocked by his outburst to say the least. There had to be more to this than meets the eye. When I think about it, what do I really know about Superboy? I know he's the clone of Superman. I know he doesn't have all the powers of Superman. That's about it.

I stood up and held a hand out, "Wait, Superboy. I'm sorry; I wasn't trying to get into your head. I know what it's like trying to live up to unbelievably high expectations. And trying time and time again to prove yourself."

"Do you?" Superboy asked skeptically crossing his arms.

"Yeah," I said with a sigh, "I do. I always thought if I was something special my parents would stick around instead of traveling so much. But that doesn't matter anymore. And this Superman thing shouldn't bother you either. You shouldn't need to prove yourself! You're Superboy! You're a hero on Young Justice. That's pretty good in my book and it should be good enough for you too."

"But Superman,"

"Nope, no more! Just be you, Conner. If that's not enough to impress him then it's his loss. He'll come around, but in the meantime lighten up. Don't be so hard on yourself. I know from experience it causes nothing but misery. Not to mention I think Miss Martian would like to see you smile every now and then," I added with a small smirk.

"What was that last part?" He asked.

"For a guy with super hearing, I know you heard me," I said with a laugh.

* * *

Once again thanks for reading! Reviews make me happy but I'll keep writing regardless! :D


	4. Chapter 4

**My name is Cassandra Knight and I have witnessed a horrible crime. To shield me from the wrath of Lex Luthor I have been placed into the protective custody of Young Justice. But Lex Luthor's revenge is nothing compared to what Deathstroke the terminator has in store for me.**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own cartoon network, dc comics, young justice, or any of the characters from the comics and or show Young Justice.**_

_**Thanks so much again to AsiraK-KarisA. Especially for letting me use her OC Aaron Stryker. Also thanks to everyone who has been reviewing and submitting OC characters. I appreciate it!**_

* * *

Artemis had taken a break from the books and I took the opportunity to move into the kitchen. I glanced at the clock only to realize it was five thirty already. A small grumble from my stomach confirmed it was time to make something to eat. I opened the fridge and took inventory of what materials I could work with. There was a lot of milk, eggs, and butter. Someone must do a lot of baking. With a small chuckle I also noticed a bag of food with a post it note that read "KF's snacks".

I then moved on to the pantry where I found stacks of canned foods and boxes of sugary cereals. With a little more rummaging I found a box of spaghetti. I could definitely work with that. I found a large pot and filled it three fourths of the way with water and set it on the stove top to boil. While I waited for the water to boil I went back to the fridge to grab some fresh tomatoes. I washed them then started to cut them on a cutting board.

By this time Superboy had left his spot on the couch and sat down in front of the counter to watch. He didn't say a word, he just sat there and his eyes followed my every movement. I had a feeling he usually watched someone else cook, and my best bet said it was Miss Martian.

"Ah, welcome to the kitchen! I am Chef Cassandra! La mia cucina è la vostra cucina! In realtà, la vostra cucina è la mia cucina!" I said with a thick Italian accent. "I shall cook delicious food in heroes cave, no?" I said with exaggerated hand motions as if I was on a cooking show.

Superboy let out a small chuckle. There! I finally got mr. quiet to laugh a little. That was the goal, wasn't it? I smiled in satisfaction and finished chopping the tomatoes. The water was now boiling and I added the spaghetti. The tomatoes went into a smaller pan to cook and I busied myself by making garlic bread. Between tasks I made small talk with Superboy.

"So, Superboy, what's your favorite food?" I asked him.

"My favorite?" he asked scrunching his eye brows together. "I don't have a favorite, it all seems the same to me."

"You probably haven't had enough variety to pick a favorite yet," I said with a shrug.

"Who taught you how to cook?" Superboy asked.

I gave the spaghetti a quick stir then turned back to answer his question. "My father did actually. Now most girls say their mothers taught them how to cook, but it was my dad who was the chef in the family. My mom would always end up burning things."

I saw a flash of disappointment when I mentioned my dad but Superboy quickly replaced the expression with a crooked grin. "You don't say," he said. I could tell he was thinking of something, a memory maybe?

"What's on your mind?" I asked curious to find out what it was.

"I was just thinking about the first time Miss Martian tried to make cookies at the cave. They were burnt to a crisp," he said. He starred down at the counter top with a small smile.

"Gotta give her props for trying though," I said. I put on an oven mitt and took the garlic bread out. I set it down to cool and the wonderful smell filled the kitchen.

"You make it look so easy," he commented.

"Yeah, well you make smashing through a brick wall look easy," I retorted with a smirk.

That got him to laugh. It was a small laugh, but it was nice to hear. The guy seriously needed to lighten up more. "Just don't go burning anything; I can't have you burning down the kitchen when I'm on Cassandra watch."

I took the oven mitt off and punched him on the shoulder, "I'm not going to burn anything!"

"Hey!" he said in protest.

"Ha! I bet you didn't even feel that."

"Not at all, you punch like a girl," he said with a cheeky smirk.

"Punch like a girl? Where did you learn that phrase?" I asked with curiosity.

"Kid Flash."

I shook my head, "I should have known!"

Artemis reentered the kitchen right after. "Hey, what's up?" she asked.

"Cooking," I replied over my shoulder. I strained the spaghetti and then added the tomatoes. I went through the cabinets and found three bowls and three plates. I set them down on the counter then fished out three forks.

Artemis sat down on a stool in front of the counter. "You made dinner?"

"Yeah, it gave me something to do," I answered. I scooped spaghetti out of the pot and into the bowls then distributed the garlic bread. I took a seat in between Superboy and Artemis.

Artemis grabbed her fork and began to eat. I grabbed mine too and dug into the spaghetti.

"Mhmm, this is great!" Artemis complimented.

"Thanks," I said after swallowing.

"I can't even remember the last time I sat down to dinner," she said with an underlying tone of sadness. "Between missions and training I usually don't get home until late at night."

"Well as long as I'm here I don't mind cooking," I said with a smile. I glanced over at Superboy who was looking down at his bowl of spaghetti as if it were a foreign object. He took his fork and jabbed at the noodles in an attempt to get them in his mouth.

"Uh, Superboy?" Artemis said with a quizzical expression. She twirled her fork in the air trying to demonstrate for him.

"It's fine, he'll get it," I said with a reassuring smile to Superboy. I knew better than to correct him from our previous conversation in the lounge. Eventually Superboy got the hang of it from trial and error. But he figured it out by himself which is all that really matters.

Artemis eyed the clock and quickly finished her dinner. "Thanks for the food. I have a training session with GA in five though. Can you stay with Cassandra for a bit?" Artemis asked Superboy.

"Yeah," Superboy answered.

"Thanks," Artemis said before dashing off for the training room.

Superboy and I finished our meal then I initiated cleaning the mess I made. I washed dishes and Superboy offered to help. I washed them and Superboy dried them.

"Uh, thanks for not treating me like a child," Superboy said hesitantly.

"Don't mention it. You're not a child, just learning. There's nothing wrong with that."

I grabbed the last dish and scrubbed it until it was clean.

"Do you like being stuck here?" he asked out of the blue.

"I don't know if stuck is the right word. I really don't mind. It would be a lot nicer if I was here on other circumstances. Every day I wonder, Is Luthor going to do something today? Is something bad going to happen? I almost wish he'd just get it over with so I don't have to wonder when it's coming."

"I'm not letting anything happen. Luthor is going to have to get past me first," he said firmly.

"Thanks," I said.

Not even a minute later the zeta tube announced the arrival of Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Miss Martian.

"Recognized, Robin B-01, Aqualad B-02, Kid Flash B-03, Miss Martian B-05," the computer announced. Robin entered with his arm slung over Kid Flash's shoulder for support. All of them were covered in a thin layer of soot and debris.

"What happened?!" I asked once I spotted them.

"Recognized, Batman 02."

Batman wasted no time once he entered the cave. "Mission report. Now." Aqualad stepped forward.

"The team took action against the four men who had entered the building. As we fought them there was something that was not right. Their attacks were of medium intensity yet persistent. Robin and Miss Martian discovered the men were robotic. Robin concluded the robots were a distraction. The detection of a bomb prevented us from perusing the real threat. We barely escaped the building before the bomb detonated."

"I want _full_ mission reports from each of you detailing where the mission went wrong," he said brusquely. He pulled up a Justice League file on the mission computer. "The true intent of the infiltrator was to steal files from Lex Luthor's main computer. The infiltrator succeeded. These files contained evidence of Luthor's more _questionable _business transactions. There is no way for the police to recover this information now."

The heroes starred down at the ground in shame. The mission was a complete failure.

* * *

A teenage boy with medium length messy, dirty blonde hair walked into a beat up apartment building. With a rolling gait he walked to his room and opened the door. Once inside he threw himself onto the old couch in the middle of the room. It was falling apart and had stuffing coming out of the cushions. If that wasn't bad enough it was only a tad bit softer than a rock.

He groaned as his body hit the hard cushions. It had been another long day for him. His eyes were almost shut when the phone next to him rang.

"What now!" he hissed but reluctantly sat up and answered the phone.

"I told you to stop calling me," he growled into the phone.

"My my, that's no way to talk to an old friend."

"Friend? Hardly. I told you, I'm done. I don't take _jobs _anymore," the teenager said stubbornly.

"It's bad business to turn down a job before even hearing how much it pays."

"Whatever you're paying, it's not worth the trouble!"

"Pity, I was willing to pay 20 grand up front and 10 grand per completion of a task." The teenager's eyes widened. He couldn't be serious. 20 grand up front? That would be enough to finally live somewhere decent. No one ever paid that much.

"What's the catch?"

"No catch."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Her name is Cassandra Knight. 16 years old, 5 foot 3, 110 pounds, dark brown hair, blue eyes. Current residence is 240 North Blue Bridge, Gotham. Will be attending Gotham Academy. A file will be sent with more information."

"Whoa, hold up, I am **not** killing some 16 year old girl," he said indignantly.

"Thoughtless child, I'm not asking you to kill her. I want information."

"What kind of information?"

"Anything you can find. You will attend Gotham Academy disguised as a student."

"Look, I don't know what kind of game you're playing at, but Gotham Academy isn't the kind of school you waltz right into."

"You've already been accepted and registered…Aaron Stryker."

Aaron gripped the phone so tight his knuckles turned white. This man knew his real identity. He couldn't back down now.

"When do I start?"

"Tomorrow."

"You know where to wire the money?"

"Of course."

* * *

This was just a quick chapter to make the transition into chapter 5 go more smoothly. No, this story isn't going to be Cassandra/Superboy. He only sees her like a little sister and if I put any romance in this story it will be Superboy will be with Miss M. Although this chapter may have seemed like a lot of filler it was necessary for more important things down the line. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5: Gotham Academy Part 1

**My name is Cassandra Knight and I have witnessed a horrible crime. To shield me from the wrath of Lex Luthor I have been placed into the protective custody of Young Justice. But Lex Luthor's revenge is nothing compared to what Deathstroke the terminator has in store for me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own cartoon network, dc comics, young justice, or any of the characters from the comics and or show Young Justice.**

**Special thanks to all of those who submitted OC characters including JaneTheHugger, AsiraK-KarisA, the guest who submitted Aider, and the guest who submitted Marcus. This is only part one of the Gotham Academy part. I promise I'll get to using all of the OC's. Also, thank you to everyone who has added this story to their favorites/alert including: AsiraK-KarisA, Dreaming2BAWriter, Kidchaos9, animegal1357, doggy bye, randomkitty101, BumbleJay, FishInAFadora, RJG Lover, SchadenFreude95, and lack-4-a-better-name!**

* * *

An hour had passed since Batman dismissed Young Justice. I honestly expected them to bounce back by now, but not much had changed. Superboy sat in front of the tv watching static, Kaldur sat across from him staring off into space, and M'gann sat with Artemis in the kitchen sighing softly every now and then. Wally was mindlessly munching on pretzels with a glum expression he usually didn't show when he had food. Then there was Robin.

I think Robin was taking their failed mission the hardest. Batman is his mentor after all, it makes sense that Robin might feel like he let Batman down. But for god's sake the guy was only 15. Not to mention he's been in the hero business since he was just a child. He left the lounge twenty minutes ago and went into the training room. I understood he needed some time to himself, but that was twenty minutes ago. I started to worry so I slipped out of the lounge and went to the training room.

There he was, sitting against the wall brooding. He was like a miniature version of the Batman with that scowl on his face. It was nothing like the dazzling smile he gives the reporters when they asked how Batman and Robin saved the day. It was nothing like the whoops of joy he shouted when the newscaster's video camera caught him in action.

I sat down next to him but there was no response. He didn't even look to see who had entered the training room. Yet he probably could tell who it was without looking. I've heard Batman trained him well. A whole minute went by but it felt like an eternity.

"Are you ok?" I asked him after I couldn't take it any longer.

"Yeah, fine," Robin muttered and turned his head away from me. Probably so I wouldn't be able to read his obvious lie. I didn't need to look at his face to know he was lying.

I sighed softly. "You don't have to lie to me. It's ok if you're upset."

"I'm the Batman's side kick. I'm not supposed to make mistakes. Not even the little ones. But this time, I made a big mistake. I let my guard down and realized too late the real intentions of the enemy. Which…I don't even know who the enemy was," he said turning his head back towards me. "Batman was disappointed in me, I could tell from his tone when he explained why our mission was a failure. He expects better from me, and I let him down," he said in a soft sad voice.

Immediately I noticed the difference between talking to Robin and Superboy. It didn't take much to get Robin to tell me what was really bothering him. With Superboy he only deflected my questions and got angry when I tried to talk to him.

"I'm not trying to be Black Canary or anything but whatever you want to say I'll listen," I told him thinking back to how I offended Superboy previously.

He tilted his head to one side to show his confusion. "Why would you say you're not trying to be Black Canary?"

"I kinda might have tried to talk to Superboy about Superman," I said sheepishly.

Robin laughed bitterly, "Yeah, you might not want to do that. Even Black Canary can't get him to talk about his Superman issues in a civil manner."

"I learned that the hard way. You and Superboy do have something in common though. You both have some issues with your mentors."

The part of his mask that covered the bridge of his nose crinkled with his frown. "I don't have mentor issues," he said defensively.

"Denial is not just—"

"A river in Egypt, yeah I know. Batman and I do have some…issues you could say. Batman expects a lot from me. And I'm usually ok with that when I do everything right. The second I fall behind or mess up though—that's a different story."

I shook my head, "You're only 15, he shouldn't be so harsh on you."

"15, almost 16. I've been doing this since I was 9. Do the numbers really make a difference?" he said flippantly.

"It's not right," I told him in disagreement.

Robin gave me a weak smile, "From the outside, I'm sure that's the way it seems. There's a whole other side to Batman though. The one no one else sees once he goes back to the batcave and takes the cowl off. I understand who Batman really is and the motivation behind what he does. And because of that I trust his judgment. I can trust that everything he tells me to do is for my own good. He's harsh on me to protect me, so that one day I'm strong enough to stand on my own."

"And you're ok with all this?" I asked him. I was still concerned. It was a lot of pressure for a teenager to go through.

"More or less, but I go along with it anyway. You said that Superboy and I are alike. Although we have some similarities, we're more different than alike. Superboy and Superman have falling outs. There are still major issues that need to be sorted out. Batman and I go through rough patches, but we always find a way to work it out. At the end of the day we deal with it, we don't just push it under the rug. Sometimes it's more painful to confront our issues, but that's how they get solved."

"I've never been a super hero before so I guess I can't say I understand what you mean. I don't like the way Batman treats you but it's your call not mine. Just promise me you'll tell me if it gets to be too much, ok?" I asked him. I don't know why, but I didn't like to see him so crestfallen. I barely knew him, yet I couldn't stand to see the smile disappear from his face.

He chuckled, "Relax, it's fine. This kind of stuff happens all the time. Part of the gig, get traught or get dead."

"Get traught or get dead?" I questioned raising both eye brows.

"Traught, you know, like distraught, without the dis. Making it a good thing," Robin explained.

"So in other words stay calm or die? That's how you get by with the hero gig?"

Robin shrugged, "In some cases. I prefer to feel the aster though."

"Aster…" I murmured, "That would be disaster without the dis I presume?" He nodded. "For the record I find your quirky use of words totally turbing."

"Hey! I already came up with turbing!" Robin said crossing his arms and pouting playfully. "Anyway, you do? Most people find it weird."

"Kinda nerdy," I teased, "but I like it." Honestly, I thought it was pretty cute. But don't tell him that!

Robin smiled then stood up and stretched. "Man, how long has it been?"

I glanced at the clock hanging on the training room wall. I stood up as well. "About an hour. Last time I saw the team, they weren't feeling the aster. How about we round up the troops and have a movie night or something?" I suggested.

Robin perked up at my suggestion. "Awesome, let's go!"

It was like flipping a light switch with him. One moment he was brooding the next he was happy. Although I have a feeling it's just an act. An act he must have practiced many times before to have it this perfected…

We walked back together and as far as I could tell no one had moved.

"Hey, guys, how about a movie night?" Robin asked them.

"I've always wanted to have a movie night with friends," M'gann said already in a better mood just at the mention of it.

"Sure, I'm up for it. As long as we make popcorn too," Wally said with a grin.

"Team bonding," Aqualad said agreeing with the idea of a movie night.

Superboy shrugged, "Why not."

"I'll stay for a bit, but then I need to catch some sleep. It is a school day tomorrow," said Artemis.

"Great! That only begs the question, what are we watching?" Robin asked the team.

"Sci-Fi!"

"Action!"

"Rom Com!"

"Comedy!"

"Wow, I'm glad you're all in agreement," I said sarcastically rolling my eyes. I searched through their movie collection and selected one. I put the DVD in and turned off the lights.

"Hey wait, what are we watching?" Wally asked. He picked his spot on the end of the green couch and sat down.

"It's a surprise," I said with a shrug. Kaldur and Artemis both book an arm chair each and got situated. Miss M'gann sat cross legged in front of the couch. Robin sat down on the main couch next to Wally so I sat down next to him. Superboy was the last to pick a spot next to M'gann.

Once we were all comfortable the movie began. I picked out True Lies (Disclaimer: I do not own True Lies) and figured it had a little bit of something for everyone. Despite all the actions scenes I felt myself slowly being pulled into sleep. It had been a long day and my eye lids felt so heavy.

"Wait, you can't fall asleep yet, you're going to miss the jet scene!" Wally said. He must have noticed I was about to fall asleep. I nodded halfheartedly and tried to stay awake. In spite of my efforts, my eyes came to a close and I fell asleep.

* * *

Cassandra fell asleep in the middle of the movie. She wasn't alone either, Kaldur was barely awake and Artemis had left only minutes ago. Superboy didn't seem effected at all but Miss Martian rested her head on the back of the couch. Cassandra mumbled something incoherent in her sleep and her head slid down the back of the couch and stopped once it rested on Robin's shoulder.

Robin himself was only half awake but he noticed her resting on his shoulder. Wally, who was still wide awake, noticed as well.

"Aww man, she fell asleep!" he said in a hushed voice. "And on your shoulder," he added with a snicker.

"It's fine, I don't want to wake her up," Robin whispered. He glanced down at the sleeping Cassandra with a small smile. Robin was the next to fall asleep.

With an exasperated sigh Wally turned off the movie. Everyone but Superboy and he had fallen asleep. Wally couldn't tell whether Superboy was bored by the movie or just didn't understand it, but either way Superboy didn't show much disappointment once it was turned off.

"Should I bring her to her room or something?" Superboy asked looking at Cassandra.

"Wait, not yet!" Wally said jumping from his spot and taking out his phone. He took a picture of Cassandra and Robin sleeping and had trouble containing his laughter. "Ok, now you can."

Superboy picked her up bridal style and carried her to her designated room. He gently laid her down on the bed. Then he left just as quickly as he had come.

* * *

I woke up in an unfamiliar bed surrounded by darkness. I stumbled out of the sheets and held my hands out in front of me like a blind woman until I felt the wall. From there I scaled my hands across the wall until I found a light switch. The bright light made me squint with distaste but I got the first glimpse of the mystery room I was in. I could tell I was still at Mount Justice, so I didn't freak out too badly.

Then it all came back to me. We were watching a movie when I fell asleep. Someone must have carried me to the room. I blushed with embarrassment and anger that I wasn't able to prevent something as embarrassing as needing to be carried to my room. There was nothing I could do about it now. I turned to my left and nearly jumped out of my skin! I probably would have screamed too if I didn't quickly realize it was Miss Martian who was sleeping in the corner.

I rested a hand over my heart. Geez, warn a person! Miss M must have been the one who brought me to the room. And she too must have fallen asleep while keeping watch. Which was fine, if anything happened she'd hear it and wake up. The rules were one member had to be in the room with me and one had to be outside the room at night. Another very strict rule was that only Artemis or Miss Martian could be the member assigned to guard inside my room. For obvious reason I don't think I need to explain.

Superboy mostly got the night shifts because he didn't need as much sleep as the other guys. As a matter of fact I remember he was assigned a shift tonight. But when I walked out of my room he wasn't by the door. I walked through the cave and glanced at the clock as I did. It was six in the morning. No one else seemed to be awake until I saw a soft blue glow of light coming from the main computer in the mission room.

Lo and behold, there was Superboy, typing away at the computer at six in the morning. I yawned as I walked up to him. "Superboy, what are you doing up this early?"

For a minute he continued to type as if he hadn't heard me. But come on, the guy has super hearing! "Superboy? Anyone home?"

He turned around after I called his name for a second time.

"Hey Cassandra! What's up?" He asked in a cheery tone. Ok, that's weird. Superboy doesn't exactly do cheery. And I wouldn't expect it at six in the morning none the less.

"What's up? Oh I don't know, maybe your random computer usage at six in the morning?" I said. I tried to get a look at the screen but his shoulders were blocking my view. Curse my shortness!

"I'm just updating some files, no biggie. My shift was getting boring so I thought I'd be more productive. Batman won't mind, I'm actually doing him a favor," he said with a smile. Huh.

"Right, I guess that makes sense," I played along with his strange behavior.

"Oh, would you look at the time, it's six already. You're going to be late if you don't hurry. Go get ready for school, alright Cass?" he said then reached out and ruffled my hair. Yeah you heard me; he ruffled my hair, like I was a five year old. He also called me Cass. Superboy never calls me Cass. At least, he hasn't yet. Why the sudden change?

"I'm going to take your advice and get ready. Wouldn't want to be late on the first day, you know?" I said before slowly backing away from him. He was smiling. It was kinda creeping me out.

"Have a good first day!" he shouted over his shoulder as I left the mission room.

* * *

A hop, skip, and a zeta tube teleportation later I was standing in front of Gotham Academy pulling down my obnoxious skirt. It's not that I don't like skirts, but let's be honest; the Gotham Academy uniform screams 'prep'. And I don't do preppy.

If the uniform wasn't bad enough M'gann had begged me to let her play dress up this morning. She did my hair and makeup. To my horror she was actually pretty good at it. I was all dolled up with loose curls, mascara, eye liner, and even clear lip gloss. It made me extremely uncomfortable because people kept looking. Most looked and then quickly looked away but others had the nerve to gawk. You'd think I'd grown a second head or something. I'm just the new girl, no big deal. Stop starring!

I wandered into the building not really sure where I was going. I bet I looked like a lost idiot. It would look even worse if I took out the map they gave me. Maybe I should just ask someone…But they all look so intimidating.

"Hey there," a voice said from behind me. I turned to see a gorgeous teenage boy with medium length dirty blonde hair that fell effortlessly around his face. He smiled down to me, he was taller than me of course, and it was then that I noticed his smoky dark hazel eyes. If I wasn't mistaken I'd think he was a supermodel who took a wrong turn on his way to a photo shoot and ended up here.

I stared at him dumbly for a moment trying to think of something to say. "Hey," I managed to get out.

He chuckled, "I couldn't help but notice your deer in head lights expression. You must be new. I can tell because you're exhibiting the same symptoms I was ten minutes ago. I'm new here too. My name is Aaron."

I let out a mental sigh of relief. I could do this. He's new too, maybe he understands. "My name is Cassandra."

"Mind if I take a look at your schedule? Maybe I can help you out," he offered with a charming smile.

I dug into my bag and pulled out my schedule. "Thanks," I said and handed it to him. His eyes scanned over the paper quickly then he handed it back to me.

"You're in luck actually; we're in all the same classes. As long as you stick with me we'll either thrive together or sink together. I'm hoping the first one."

"Great, where to, captain?" I asked with a light laugh. He smirked and led the way through the building.

"The first class doesn't start for another thirty minutes. Every day they have a free period before class starts. It gives students time to see their teachers for extra help or just to talk to friends. This open area here," he said gesturing to a wide area of the building that only contained round tables and chairs, "is what students call the commons. It serves as a hang out area during free periods and the cafeteria during lunch."

"Wow, for a new kid you sure do know a lot," I said feeling completely over whelmed. Students passed me in every direction. There must have been thousands of them.

"I pick up quickly," he said with a crooked grin. I nodded in understanding. It was a school for geniuses after all. He sat down at one of the tables and motioned for me to follow his example. I sat down next to him and watched what the other students did. Most of them had their cell phones out.

"So tell me about yourself Miss Cassandra. Where are you from? Where did you go to school last?" he started to ask.

"I've been all over the place really. Born and raised in Chicago, moved to Jump City, then Gotham, then Metropolis, and now back in Gotham again. I've always been home schooled, it was the easier option when I moved so much," I explained. He seemed to listen to my every word.

"Why did you move so much?" he asked.

"Well, my parents are professional sports trainers. They travel around the country a lot, sometimes even around the world. They say I'm too young to go with them, so when they're gone I live with my relatives. First it was my grandparents, then my aunts and uncles. You know, if you're going to ask me questions it's only fair I get to ask you some. Where are you from and how did you end up at Gotham Academy?"

"Born and raised in Gotham. I've been here all my life. I had a," he paused as if searching for the right word, "mentor who suggested I apply for Gotham Academy. I did and surprisingly got accepted."

"Wow, you must be pretty smart," I commented.

He smirked, "Nah, I just got lucky. How about you? Did you bribe the headmaster to get in?" he joked.

"Something like that," I said with a tiny smile. I still wonder how Batman got me in. Especially in the middle of the first semester.

"Who are you staying with now?" he asked.

"I'm staying with friends right now, but I'll be living with my aunt and uncle soon," I said. My phone began to ring and I figured since class hadn't started yet it was ok to answer it. I mouthed the word 'sorry' to Aaron. "Hello?"

_"You'll never believe where I am right now!" Juliet said on the other line._

I was about to make a sarcastic remark about her location when I happened to spot someone in the crowd of students. Someone with the same color hair as my best friend. That someone was also holding the same cell phone as my best friend Juliet.

"Oh I don't know, Gotham Academy?"

_"What!" she gasped, "How did you know?" _

"Because I sitting right behind you. Turn around," I said and hung up my phone.

Juliet turned around and the shock was apparent on her face. "What are you doing here?" she asked. I think it came out harsher than she meant it to. Or maybe she really didn't understand why I was here and didn't let her know. Either way Batman had been pretty strict about what I was allowed to tell her.

"Surprise?" I said giving her a sheepish smile.

She sat down at our table. "Surprise? Seriously?" She held the back of her hand to her mouth. "Who's the dude?" she whispered but I'm pretty sure he heard anyway.

"Juliet, this is Aaron. Aaron, this is my best friend, Juliet," I introduced them.

"Hello, Juliet, pleasure to meet you," he said holding his hand out for her to shake.

She adjusted her glasses out of nervous habit. "Umm, hello. Nice to meet you Aaron." She held her hand out and gave him a weak handshake.

Aaron then turned away from Juliet and back to me. "Back to twenty questions?" he asked cheerfully. It didn't go unnoticed how he immediately shunned Juliet's presence the second he finished introductions.

I looked up at Juliet and was about to scold Aaron for his rude behavior but she stopped me.

"It's fine, I actually need to go see the guidance counselor. Catch ya later," she said before leaving. I gave her a small wave.

"Juliet's your best friend?" he asked me.

"Yeah, I've known her since forever. Just give her a chance, ok?"

He held his hands up defensively, "I wasn't judging her or anything."

I smiled, "Alright, just saying. So what do you like best about Gotham?" I got right back into our friendly interrogation session.

"It's hard to pick just one thing. This city grows on you. The shops, the people, night life," he said with a shrug. "It's all I've ever known. What's your favorite color?" he asked randomly.

"Hmm, I'd have to say blue."

"Just like your eyes," he commented and looked me in the eyes with his hazel ones. I became uncomfortable when someone saved me by walking up to our table.

"Cassandra? Cassandra Knight?" he asked enthusiastically. I turned around in my seat recognizing the voice right away. I jumped up and gave the unsuspecting Dick Grayson a bear hug.

"Oh my gosh! Dick! It's been so long!" I squealed shamelessly as I hugged him.

* * *

Dick pretended to be surprised by her sudden hug. Robin would have seen it coming by a long shot, but not Dick Grayson. He hugged her back with a chuckle. While they were hugging Cassandra's back was turned to Aaron and Dick was facing him. Aaron gave Dick a nasty look and Dick glared back at him.

"It's been a year, hasn't it?" Dick mused after they released from their hug.

"A year since we talked, but it's almost been four years since I've actually seen you. What have you done to your hair?!" Cassandra teased.

"Yeah, four whole years," Dick murmured. "How have you been?"

"I've been alright. How about you? And Bruce? Oh, Alfred too! How's he doing?" Cassandra asked all at once.

Cassandra seemed oblivious to it, but Aaron's glower didn't go unnoticed by Dick. "Good, I've been doing fine, thanks. Bruce is his usual self, and Alfred is doing just fine. I'm sure he's missed you just as much as the rest of us, you should stop by the manor some time."

Cassandra smiled. "Really? Thanks, I just might have to take you up on that offer. I've missed them."

Dick pretended to clear his throat. "So who's your new friend?" he asked eyeing Aaron.

"Oh, how rude of me. Dick, this is Aaron. He's new too and he has all the same classes as me so I thought I'd hang around with him."

Dick narrowed his eyes on a fraction of an inch. "Wow, he joined the academy the same day as you and has all the same classes. What a coincidence, is it not?"

Aaron's fist tightened under the table. "I'm not the only new student today besides Cassandra. There is also Juliet and I believe one more student. As for our schedules, it makes sense that administration would give students joining at the same time similar schedules. Did you ever consider that, Dick?"

"Yes, I did consider it. But I know how scheduling works at this school. The computer randomly assigns the class orders as it fits best with the surrounding student's schedules. The likely hood of all classes aligning up for the two of you is less than ten percent," Dick said crossing his arms.

"Oh no, he's throwing numbers at me now," Aaron said throwing his hands up. "I guess I'm just lucky, huh?" he said looking at Cassandra and smiling.

Cassandra had begun to pick up on the subtle tension between Dick and Aaron. The warning bell rang letting the students know they had five minutes to get to class.

"Would you like me to show you where your first class is?" Dick offered to Cassandra.

"I can show her," Aaron interjected.

"Really, I don't mind," Dick said keeping his tone kind even though his temper was beginning to boil beneath the surface.

"Let's look at this logically. I'm going to the same class as her and I know where it is. You on the other hand, will be late if you show her where her class is," Aaron pointed out.

Cassandra stood awkwardly while the two boys talked.

"I don't mind being late," Dick said.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize being Bruce Wayne's ward meant you could do whatever you want at this school. Then by all means, you show her where the class is," Aaron countered.

Dick frowned, "You two really should get to class before you're late. I'll catch up with you later, Cassandra." He walked away before he did or said something he shouldn't.

Once he was gone Cassandra punched Aaron on the shoulder. "What was that for? You didn't have to be such a jerk!"

"Oh come on, I was just messing with him," Aaron said and started walking to class. Cassandra followed after him. "But honestly, I know the type of guy Grayson is. You may have known him four years ago, or a year ago, but he's changed. He's nothing more than a stuck up rich kid. He puts on an act when he wants to charm someone or get them on his side, but I've seen his true colors. Being Bruce Wayne's ward has gone to his head."

Cassandra scrutinized what he said. "I'll take that into consideration, but let me be the judge of what kind of person Dick Grayson has turned into."

For the next minute they walked together to class in silence. They walked into class and sat down next to each other. The bell rang right after and class started.

"We have a couple new students today! Isn't that exciting?" the teacher Mr. Daniels asked but got less than enthusiastic responses from the students. "Aider Suresh? Are you here?"

"Present," said a fifteen year old girl with beautiful golden brown skin and long black and blue eyes.

"Thank you Aider. Would you please introduce yourself to the class?" Mr. Daniels asked.

"Hey everyone, my name is Aider Suresh. This is my first day here. I moved here a year ago to live with my adoptive family. In my free time I like to hang with my friends," Aider said then sat back down.

"That's great, Aider. We're glad to have you. Who else is new? Aaron Stryker? Did you make it to class Aaron? Ah, there you are. Would you please introduce yourself?"

Cassandra began to fidget in her chair. She could see where this was going and knew she'd have to introduce herself to the class soon. Just the thought of standing in front of everyone and talking made her a nervous wreck.

"My name is Aaron Stryker. I've been in Gotham for as long as I can remember. My father was a master lock smith and my mother was an engineer. I've taken marital arts classes since I was three."

"Interesting, thanks for sharing Aaron. Cassandra Knight? Are you here?"

Cassandra gulped before standing up. "Um, hi, I'm Cassandra. I- um," she began to blank out. She looked around the room terrified at everyone starring at her.

Aaron stood up next to her. "Her name is Cassandra. She's from Chicago but has traveled to Jump, Metropolis, and now Gotham. She's always been homeschooled. Oh, and her favorite color is blue," he added with a smile.

"Thank you," Cassandra whispered and sat back down.

"Brownie points for you, Aaron. He's a keeper," Mr. Daniels said to Cassandra which made her cheeks burn pink in embarrassment. "Back to class! Who knows what a compound predicate is?"

Class went on like you would expect any sophomore English class to go. Class was almost over when there was a small high pitched noise that rang in Aaron's ear. No one else in the class noticed the sound. Aaron internally groaned and pressed a button on the small communicator in his ear. He raised his hand and asked the teacher if he could be excused to use the rest room.

"Take the pass," Mr. Daniels said then returned to writing on the chalk board.

Aaron walked out of the class, took a turn down the hall way, and then turned the volume of his com link on.

"What do you want," he growled the second it turned on. "I was in class! Are you trying to blow my cover?"

"What have you found?" the man on the other end asked.

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered under his breath. "Nothing of importance. She was born in Chicago, moved around a bunch because of her parents' jobs, and her favorite color is blue. Don't you think I'd report if I found anything that stood out?"

"Find something. I'm not paying you to play at high school."

"How am I supposed to find something when you won't tell me what it is I'm looking for?!"

"You'll know it when you see it."

"What kind of crap is that?! Someone's coming, I'll report when I find whatever it is I'm looking for," Aaron said with a sigh. He hid around the corner so the approaching person wouldn't see him.

He peeked around the corner and saw Cassandra standing there in the empty hallway. She looked visibly upset and was starting to shake. He didn't approach her yet and only watched to see what she would do. Suddenly she disappeared. She disappeared into thin air.

Aaron blinked twice not exactly sure he saw that right. But she was definitely gone. Aaron held a finger to his ear to turn his com link back on. "I think I may have found what you were looking for. She just disappeared. Out of thin air. Wait…" he mumbled as he watched. Cassandra reappeared a couple feet away from where she had disappeared. "She's back… like she teleported?" he whispered.

"Good, very good," the man purred with satisfaction. "All is going as planned."

* * *

So far Superboy is acting strange, Dick is suspicious of Aaron, and something weird just happened to Cassandra. **I'm curious, who do you guys think is the mystery man who hired Aaron?**


	6. Chapter 6: Gotham Academy Part 2

**My name is Cassandra Knight and I have witnessed a horrible crime. To shield me from the wrath of Lex Luthor I have been placed into the protective custody of Young Justice. But Lex Luthor's revenge is nothing compared to what Deathstroke the terminator has in store for me.**

**Sorry about the wishy washy summaries. This is the last time I'll change it. I finally know where I want this story to go now!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own cartoon network, dc comics, young justice, or any of the characters from the comics and or show Young Justice.**

**Special thanks to: moviesgalore1, ginnylovesharry5, KizKatsayzgirlzruleYJ, S.S. Pie, and AnimeWolfGirl16 for adding to favorites/alert. Also, big thanks to: Graysonian, FishInAFadora, animegal1357, and KizKatsayzgirlzruleYJ for reviewing!**

* * *

I felt completely frozen. Was it the after effects of the zeta tube? No, that's not possible. I was nowhere near the zeta tube. I think I might have kinda possibly just teleported. On my own. Deep breaths Cassandra-think back. What exactly happened?

Everything was ok until Aaron left the room. Then one of the girls, what's her name, began to make fun of me. She mocked the way I had stuttered when I tried to talk in front of the class and the way Aaron had to step in and talk for me. I was so embarrassed and I just wanted to get out of there. Aider had stood up for me and told the other girl to stop, but even at that point all I wanted to do was get out of there.

I had run out of the room and down a hall way that I had no idea where it went to. I didn't care at the time. I just needed an escape. To calm myself down I closed my eyes and started to think about Gotham Park. Dick Grayson and I used to hang out there when we were kids. When I opened my eyes I was in Gotham Park. Gotham freaking Park, not the school hallways, but the park. I panicked then in the blink of an eye I was in the hallway again! It didn't feel real. It had to be my imagination. Yeah, that's right, only my imagination.

"Hey, there you are. You ok?" Aider asked me. Despite how shaken up I was, I was glad she found me. I didn't know how to get back to class and the hallways are like a maze in this school.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Thanks for what you did back there," I said giving her a small smile.

She beamed back a smile. "I got your back. And I'll still have your back if Lisa tries anything again. We really should head back, class will be over soon and you don't want to miss the homework." I nodded in agreement and followed Aider back to class.

Back in English class I got my homework and the bell rang shortly after. Thankfully this saved me from having another confrontation with Lisa but I noticed Aaron hadn't returned to class. I didn't have time to search for him because I had to get to my next class which was gym. Aider showed me where the gym was then she had to leave for art class.

I approached the gym teacher, who was a huge woman you'd expect to see at a weight lifting competition, and introduced myself.

"I'm the new student Cassandra Knight," I said lamely for a lack of a better introduction.

"Come with me," she said and led me into the girl's locker room. She threw me a gym uniform and then handed me a lock. "Pick out a locker and get dressed. Be in the gym in five minutes."

I looked down at the royal blue shorts with a matching white and blue t shirt. With a sigh I got changed and headed out into the gym. There was a group of girls wearing similar uniforms waiting to start class. I stood next to another girl who looked like a freshman. The gym teacher began to drone on about what we were going to do today.

The girl, with bright, blue eyes; black, curly, messy hair; pale skin, and about average height, turned to me and said hello. She introduced herself as Mickey Dawson. Right away I could tell she was really friendly and to top it off she hated the Gotham Academy preppy girls just as much as I do.

To my dismay our first unit in gym class was martial arts. I've never exactly been athletic. I'm not clumsy or anything, but I've never been very good at any sports. Ironic considering my parents are professional sports trainers, but in all fairness they're never around.

The class started easy with warm ups and stretching, but then the gym teacher started to distribute sparring gear. That's when I really got nervous. Before we started any sparring matches we were paired up into groups of two to work on drills. The teacher handed us kicking pads. One partner held the pad up and the other person practiced their kicks. You'll never believe who I got paired with as my partner.

Artemis Crock. I knew right away it was the same Artemis that played superhero in Young Justice. Sure, Wally did make the mistake of telling me her real name when they were giving introductions, but let's be honest, I would have figured it out anyway. The hair was a dead giveaway, as was her name.

"Bats said there were two undercover heroes at Gotham Academy. Looks like I found one of them," I whispered to Artemis. She didn't look too surprised and we began to work on the drills. I could tell Artemis was going easy; otherwise she would have kicked the target clear out of my hands.

Then it was my turn. My kicks were weak and my technique sucked. I appreciated that Artemis did her best not to laugh at my ghastly attempts. I wasn't fluid like Artemis. I was awkward and gangly.

Just to make matters worse the gym teacher, Mrs. Shorrock, told me it was my turn to spar. She put me on the sparring mat with a girl that had to be at least five inches taller than me. Sure, I was short, but come on! There were some shorter girls I could have sparred. Either Mrs. Shorrock found it amusing to pair me with this giant of a girl, or she just really hated me.

My sparring partner and I bowed to each other then got into a fighting stance. I had no idea what I was doing and the other girl looked like she wanted to beat me into the ground. Every kick I attempted on the girl was either blocked or had no effect on the girl what so ever. She kicked the target on my chest and it felt like the wind was knocked out of me. I staggered then stood up again trying not to look like a complete loser. She kicked the front target, side, and back target effortlessly while all I could do was stumble around the sparring mat. The timer buzzed at two minutes and I was relieved of the torture that is sparring.

I sat down on the sidelines embarrassed and humiliated. Mrs. Shorrock called Artemis to come to the mat to fight the same girl I had just fought. Everyone in the class seemed to pay more attention when Artemis's name was called. Artemis bowed to her opponent then snapped into a fighting stance with her arms held up in front of her face.

For a few seconds the two girls seemed to circle each other anticipating each other's first move. The taller girl, who I eventually learned was Lauren, made the first move. She slid forward and threw a strong kick towards Artemis's stomach where the large target was. Artemis gracefully side stepped the kick and retaliated. She kicked Lauren's right side with her right foot and then before her right foot even touched the ground her left leg came up and kicked the left side of Lauren's target. In just a mere second Artemis had avoided an attack and scored two points against her opponent.

She was so fast and smooth; it made me jealous watching her fight. Now I knew why everyone in the class perked up when they heard Artemis was going to fight. I watched as she rolled to the side to avoid a kick then sprung up from the ground back onto her feet. She used her legs to sweep Lauren's feet out from under her just as the timer went off. Artemis had won the match of course. And I bet she was holding a lot back too. She walked off the sparring mat and stood next to me.

"Where did you learn that one move? You know, where you got off the ground from your back?" I asked in a whisper.

"It's called a kip up. Robin actually taught me that one," she whispered back not even out of breath from her fight. I thought about that for a moment and then got an idea. Maybe Robin could help me with sparring so I wouldn't look so bad next class.

Mrs. Shorrock continued to call up girls to spar and before long class was over. Thank god! We changed back into our school uniforms and I had my lunch hour next. Artemis also had lunch which made me happy. I hated being left alone in this big school. We walked together to the lunch room and ran into Dick too.

"Hey, Cassandra, I see you've met Artemis," Dick greeted. The three of us grabbed a table and sat down in the commons.

"Yeah," I said with a small smirk. So I didn't just meet Artemis today, but he didn't know that. "Are you two good friends?" I asked Artemis.

"Grayson and I? Sure, we've been helping each other survive this school since the beginning of the year," Artemis answered.

It looked like Dick was about to say something but then he closed his mouth. I was about to ask him what he was going to say when someone sat down next to me.

"Hey, Cassandra," Aaron greeted as he set his lunch tray down on the table.

"Aaron, hey, what happened to you in English?" I asked.

"Sorry, had to step out of class for a moment," he answered. "Sup, Grayson?" Aaron asked

"Nothing, _Stryker_," Dick said back with an edge to his voice. "You really shouldn't make it a habit to ditch class. You wouldn't want to find yourself suspended."

"Kid, you take life way too serious," he said shaking his head. He got up from the table and went back to the lunch line to get a drink. The edges of Dick's mouth twitched as if he was trying to force the frown off of his face.

"Well then, Aaron is a—" Artemis started to say.

"Bit outspoken?" I interrupted.

"I was going for something more like a dirt bag," Artemis said crossing her arms.

"He's not such a bad guy once you get to know him," I tried to put in a good word for him.

"So far I'm not convinced," Dick mumbled under his breath. I don't think I was supposed to hear it but I did. I felt slightly dejected; Aaron was one of my first friends here and Artemis and Dick didn't like him at all. Before they could say any more trash talk about Aaron he returned to the table.

"Miss me?" he asked after he sat down.

I laughed, "You were only gone for a minute."

"Sorry, next time I'll be quicker so you won't have to miss me for so long," Aaron quipped back with a smirk. I rolled my eyes playfully. Dick and Artemis didn't look amused. Ouch.

Aaron started friendly conversation every so often but the rest of lunch continued in awkward silence. Artemis and Dick kept sharing side wards glanced with each other and it was like they were having a telepathic conversation or something. Which really bothered me for some reason, but I let it go without asking them. Lunch finally ended and I went on with my day. I only had two more classes, neither of which were with Artemis or Dick. They were with Aaron though. He seemed less talkative during the second half of the day.

With nothing more exciting happening, the day ended and I went back to my locker. Aaron went in the opposite direction to his. I opened my locker and something fluttered out and onto the ground. I picked it up and inwardly gasped. What the heck!?

It was a picture of the cave at Mount Justice. It was the scene from the night before; we were sitting on the couch watching the movie. Except in the picture I was asleep, on Robin's shoulder! I felt the heat rise to my face in embarrassment. Who put this picture here!? How?! Someone from Young Justice must have done it. My best bet at this point was Artemis, considering she's the only one I know that is both in Young Justice and at Gotham Academy. But she went home before I even fell asleep…

Artemis stopped by my locker an instant later. Just the person I was looking for. "Mind explaining this?" I asked angrily shoving the picture into her hand.

Artemis looked at the picture for a moment and laughed. She didn't seem to understand why I was angry. "Ok, it's a picture. Of you sleeping on Robin's shoulder," she said quietly. "What's the big deal?"

"I found it in my locker. How did it get there?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"Calm down, obviously someone from Young Justice took the picture. It's just a prank; they found a way to sneak it into your locker for a good laugh."

Sure, that was the most logical explanation. I was still mad though. What if someone else had found the picture before I had?

"Ready to go back to the cave?" Artemis asked me. I would have said yes right away but I saw Aaron coming down the hall way.

"I'll meet you by the zeta in a minute," I whispered. Artemis shrugged and left before Aaron stopped by my locker.

"Need a ride home? I have my motorcycle," Aaron offered. I had never ridden on a motorcycle before, especially not with a guy. For some nagging reason I had the feeling Artemis and Dick wouldn't approve. Regardless, Artemis was expecting me to arrive by zeta tube. What was I supposed to tell Aaron? Can you please drop me off in a random alley way where there happens to be a phone booth disguised as a zeta tube teleportation device? That would go over real well.

"Thanks, Aaron, but I already have a ride. Maybe another time."

"Sure thing cutie, catch you around," he said with a wink and left. Did he really just call me cutie? I'm sure he calls every girl that. I disregarded that and walked out of the school to the zeta tube.

* * *

When Artemis returned to the cave the rest of the members of Young Justice were already there. Miss Martin and Superboy went to the same school, Wally went somewhere in Keystone City, Aqualad finished his studies back in Atlantis, and who knows where Robin goes to school. Probably homeschooled by Batman was Artemis's best guess.

"Better watch out for Cassandra, she's on the warpath," Artemis said before slopping down on the couch in the lounge to join the rest of the members of the team.

"Why?" Robin asked with confusion mixed in his voice.

"_Someone _put a picture in her locker at school. One of her after she fell asleep on the couch next to Robin," Artemis clarified.

Superboy turned and starred directly at Wally who shrugged off his stare with a sheepish grin. Artemis noticed their little exchange.

"What did you do?" Artemis asked Wally accusingly.

Wally held up his hands defensively, "Hey! It's not my fault. I admit I was the one who took the picture, but I haven't moved the picture from my phone. I was going to show it to Rob later, but I never got the chance to."

"Uh guys, what picture?" Robin asked. Artemis walked over to Robin and showed him the picture. Thanks to his years of training from the Batman he was able to hide the shock and embarrassment from his face and the other team members. "Wally!" Robin shouted after seeing it.

"Dude, harmless prank," Wally said.

"It appears the photograph has become less than harmless. Cassandra's feelings have been hurt," Aqualad pointed out.

"Well…" Artemis said looking around the room, "Who did it?" There was utter silence throughout the room. "Seriously guys?" Artemis said when no one came forward.

"Like I said, I only took the picture, I didn't spread it," Wally said gruffly.

"It wasn't me, why would I do that when I'm involved?" Robin added.

"It wasn't me either," Superboy said. No one was really suspecting him. He wasn't the practical joke kind of type.

"But I didn't do it either," M'gann said. Sure she didn't, she was too nice. And Aqualad was too mature to do something like that. Not to mention he was nowhere near Gotham Academy.

"If none of us have done it, then who?" Aqualad asked.

A flustered Cassandra entered the cave still fuming. "Not funny guys!" she shouted as she came into the lounge.

"Recap, Wally took the picture but wasn't the one to put it in your locker. None of us did," Artemis explained.

"Sure, I guess the picture just happened to end up in my locker by magic," Cassandra said. She avoided making eye contact with Robin.

Robin stood up, "Wally, give me your phone."

"Why?"

"Just do it," Robin said. Wally handed over his phone and Robin hooked it up to his holographic computer. "Ah ha, just as I thought. Someone has hacked into Wally's phone. Hence how they got ahold of the picture. The question is, who was it? Not to mention, who has the hacking abilities to do this and why would they go to such extents for a prank?"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on. You're telling me someone outside of Young Justice got a hold of that picture?" Cassandra asked.

Robin sighed and handed Wally his phone back. "Looks like it."

"That's ridiculous! The only enemy I have is Luthor, and I know he would do a lot worse things than try to embarrass me."

"Robin, can you trace the hacker?" Aqualad asked.

Robin pressed his lips together. "I doubt the hacker left any traces, and even if he or she did, the trail would be long gone by now. I'm sorry."

"Perfect, just another thing to worry about," Cassandra said quietly to herself. "I'm going to my room."

No one followed her and gave her a moment to be alone. They could understand what it would feel like if your privacy was broken. Not to mention they had no idea who had hacked into Wally's phone and put the picture in her locker.

Cassandra walked into the room they had set up for her and was ready to plop down on the bed face first when something caught her eye. There was an envelope with the word "oraculum" on the front.

"Uh, guys!" Cassandra shouted from her room. Kid Flash was the first one in the room followed by Superboy.

"Whathappened, whatswrong, whatisthat?" Wally asked so fast that Cassandra hadn't heard a word of it.

"What's wrong?" Superboy asked at a normal speed.

"What's that?" Cassandra asked pointing to the envelope that was on her bed.

Superboy picked it up and read the word oraculum on the front. By now the rest of the team members had come into the room. He then handed it back to Cassandra.

"What does oraculum mean?" M'gann asked.

"Prophecy," Cassandra and Robin said at the same time.

"It's Latin," Robin added.

"Should I open it?" Cassandra asked.

Artemis ran over and grabbed the envelope out of Cassandra's hand. "Are you crazy? This could be laced with explosives, or poison, or who knows what else!"

"Always the skeptic…" Kid Flash muttered under his breath.

"No, she's right. I'll run an analysis on it first," Robin said. Artemis handed him the letter and he left the room and headed to the crime analysis lab.

"I shall check the video surveillance," Aqualad said and then left the room as well.

Cassandra sat on the edge of the bed and waited for the results. . M'gann sat next to her and tried to be as comforting as she could. She could tell Cassandra was distressed. Robin and Aqualad returned ten minutes later

"Well?" Cassandra asked.

"There is no trace of intrusion into the cave on the surveillance films," Aqualad reported.

"No traces of poison or explosives," Robin reported.

Cassandra snatched the envelope from Robin and tore it open. Her shaky hands fumbled to open the letter and read it aloud.

"**Three will try, two will die, one's a spy."**

* * *

Cliffy! Sorry. This chapter is a bit shorter because the next one is going to be a big chapter.** Up next in chapter 7, Cassandra will spend some time with her aunt and uncle, Wally will tag along, Young Justice will run into a new teenage villain, and one of the three prophecies will be fulfilled! As always, thanks to everyone for reading :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Meet the Knights

**My name is Cassandra Knight and I have witnessed a horrible crime. To shield me from the wrath of Lex Luthor I have been placed into the protective custody of Young Justice. But Lex Luthor's revenge is nothing compared to what Deathstroke the terminator has in store for me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own cartoon network, dc comics, young justice, or any of the characters from the comics and or show Young Justice.**

**Special thanks to: piggythelaw, youngjustice4all, AsiraK-KarisA, KizKatsayzgirlzruleYJ, LadyFelton1994, FishInAFadora, and randomkitty101 for reviewing! Also piggythelaw, youngjustice4all, LadyFelton1994. Violet the Wolf. FromHellWithLove, Lord-of-Change, and Lunar Mist for adding to alert/fav list!**

**(If feels like it's been so long since I updated, even though it's only been a week. This chapter is 12 pages long and took me about ten hours to write. Thanks for reading!)**

* * *

All Cassandra could do was stare at the paper in her hands. Her eyes burned holes through the second prophecy. Two will die? That can't be. Who? How? The Justice League would never let that happen. It had to be a fake prophecy. She didn't even know who sent the letter. Someone was probably just messing with them, just like the picture that was in her locker. But what if the prophecies weren't a fake? Two will die? Someone is a spy? What could the first prophecy even mean? Who will try what?

"D-d you guys k-know what it means?" Cassandra stuttered.

Robin dissected the paper for a moment. "This suggests there are three separate prophecies. Each of the numbers has to be people. Therefor three people will try, who knows what it is they will try. Two people will…die, pretty self-explanatory. And one person is a spy."

"Then this means someone is trying to warn us?" Miss Martian asked.

Superboy glowered, "The letter appears more mocking then helpful."

"Superboy's right, whoever sent this letter is trying to psych us out," Artemis added her input.

Kid Flash sighed, "Yeah, well it's working. The first one is too vague to worry me. The third one can be taken care of right? I mean, we increase security and problem solved. But that second one," he shuddered, "In the words of Rob, I'm feeling a bit distraught. Heavy on the dis."

"At this point there is no way to interpret the direct meaning of the first prophecy. But there is a lot of fear in the unknown. A spy could jeopardize our mission as well," Aqualad spoke up.

"NO! No one's going to die, there aren't going to be any spies, none of this!" Cassandra said throwing her arms into the air.

"We're going to take care of it. Just stay whelmed," Robin said.

"Stay whelmed? Stay whelmed! How can you expect me to be calm right now! Someone has the ability to hack into Kid Flash's phone and invade the base without being detected. Give me one good reason why I should stay calm!" Cassandra shouted.

Her hands shook at her sides and were balled into fists. Soon her entire body appeared to shake with fear and anger. Miss Martian was about to reach out a comforting hand when Cassandra disappeared into thin air.

"Cassandra!" Miss Martian screeched into the empty air.

"She just…disappeared," Kid Flash said dumfounded. They were talking to her just a moment ago. And then she was gone.

"Recognized, Batman, B 02," the computer announced. Robin gave a nervous gulp. He had radioed for Batman after they discovered the letter. Batman just so happened to arrive at the worst time possible.

"Where is Cassandra?" Batman asked after entering the room. His presence loomed over everyone in the room. His glared seemed to ask "well?"

"She has vanished and we are uncertain to where she has gone," Aqualad said. As the leader he was expected to report to Batman. Aqualad's gaze went past Batman and he starred at the wall behind him.

"Explain. Now," Batman demanded in a low voice.

"That's all we know, Batman. A minute ago we were discussing the possibilities of the letter and Cassandra began to panic. Then she just disappeared!" Robin jumped in to Aqualad's aid.

The team expected Batman to reprimand them yet he was silent. Robin knew he was thinking, and thinking hard.

Batman seemed to snap out of thought and went to the computer in the mission room without saying a word. The team followed him and watched him type at the computer.

"Trackers were placed on her uniform. This will allow us to trace her," Batman said. A map was brought up with a blinking red dot.

"How did she end up in Gotham Park?" Robin asked the question that all of his team mates were asking themselves.

* * *

I whipped my head to the side. There were trees and rolling hills. Children running after each other with proud parents standing off to the side watching them. I jumped at the sound of a dog barking from his spot on the side walk. This wasn't right. How the hell did I get here?! I was just at Mount Justice. This isn't possible. Did I black out? Someone teleported me to Gotham Park while I was unconscious? I have no memory of this.

I pressed my hands to my temples. This wasn't real. Just some weird dream. My imagination. Anything but reality. I-I can't believe this is real. But I think it just might be. I reached my hand out and ran it down the bark of a tree. It felt too real to be a dream. Then it means what happened before at school was real. This isn't normal! I must be some kind of freak!

I felt myself begin to shake again and just like before I couldn't control it. There was a flash of darkness in my vision. Once my sight returned I could tell I was in a different place. I knew where I was but my mind didn't want to believe it was possible. I was standing in front of my old house in Chicago. Stop! Make it stop; I don't want to be here!

My heart raced and pounded in my chest. I wanted an escape. The flash of black happened once again and I was afraid to open my eyes. Who knew where I would end up this time. One thing was certain though; I had the ability to teleport. The sounds of wind rustling through trees caught my attention and I had to open my eyes. The scent of cherry blossoms hit my nose and I was suddenly calm again.

I was completely surrounded by beautiful blossoming cherry trees. The cherry blossoms fell down so gracefully I just stood there and watched them float down. I was awe struck. The wind made eddies of the pretty pink petals on the ground. I needed to go back to Young Justice. But I didn't know how. I closed my eyes and tried to make myself go back, but nothing happened. My breathing hitched in my throat. I need to go back!

"Cassandra!" Artemis yelled my name. I was back. I was really back this time. And I swear if this happens one more time I'm going to go crazy. I was standing in the mission room where Batman was sitting in front of the computer.

"I hear Japan is beautiful around this time of year," Batman said.

Japan.. How did he know? I squirmed under his intense watch. Should I tell them? What if they think something's wrong with me? It looks like Batman already knows, I mine as well tell them.

"I think I may have the ability to teleport," I said shyly. "I also have no idea how to control it," I added under my breath.

"Your ability appears to be triggered by emotion. What emotions were you feeling before this happened?" Batman questioned.

"Fear, anxiety, like I needed an escape," I answered.

Batman nodded. "Is this the first time this has happened?"

"No, it happened once today while I was at school. I didn't say anything because I thought I had imagined it."

"You should have said something sooner. Did anyone see you?" Batman continued to ask me questions. The slits on his mask narrowed. I knew he wasn't happy about this.

"No, no one else was around me when it happened. I don't understand, does this mean I have powers? Like you guys?" I asked turning towards the teenagers of Young Justice. Well, most of them had powers.

"Your ability is still in its developmental stage. This explains your inability to control it," Batman said.

"How did I get the ability to teleport?" I asked. "It's not like I've been in a lab accidently lately or anything."

Robin and Batman exchanged glances but I got no answer to my question.

"For the time being you need to control your ability. It's vital Lex Luthor doesn't know," he said.

"But wouldn't it be a good thing if he knew? He would be more intimidated if he knew I had a super power!" I disagreed.

"No, that's not how he will see it. Lex Luthor will be more likely to take drastic actions if he feels his odds have been narrowed," Batman told me. He did have a point. I'd have to make sure my little ability stayed a secret. Which was kinda hard considering I could barely control it.

"This issue will need to be brought to the attention of the Justice League. Black Canary will help you learn to control your teleportation. Until then, you will stay with your aunt and uncle." I nodded slowly. It felt like he didn't trust me.

With a sigh I went back to my room and grabbed the small bag I had packed this morning before school. I figured Young Justice would talk about me once I was out of the room but I honestly didn't want to hear it. I wondered if their mission would be ending soon. If I had my own power, I didn't really need protecting did I? Would they still want to be friends with me even once this mission was over? What if we never were truly friends and they were just nice to me because they were forced to protect me?

I pushed those horrible thoughts out of my head and returned to the mission room where the team was still standing around. It wasn't hard to figure out they had cut whatever conversation they were having short once I walked in.

"It has been decided. Kid Flash will accompany you to your aunt and uncle's house," Aqualad told me. I only nodded in response. Things suddenly felt different. I felt different and I didn't like it.

"Are you ready to go?" Kid Flash asked me.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," I said. I didn't even look back at the others as I walked to the zeta tube entrance. Kid Flash helped me put in the coordinates for my aunt and uncle's house and we walked through.

We appeared in front of my Uncle John's house just seconds later. I took a few steps forwards towards the porch but Wally grabbed me by the arm and stopped me.

"Hey, why the doom and gloom? Most people would be thrilled to find out they have a super power," Wally said. His expression held a mixture of confusion and concern.

I flinched at the contact. "I don't like unpredictability. First the letter and now I know any second now I could open my eyes and find myself in another country. What if I get stuck somewhere and I can't make my powers work again?" I stopped by the first step of the stair and sat down.

He sat down next to me. "If that ever happened we'd come find you and help you get home again. You just need to relax a bit. Let us do the worrying."

I took a deep breath. "Of course, that's what Young Justice does, right?"

"Absolutely!" Wally said with a big goofy grin. "Let's go," he said and pulled me up to my feet. We walked to the door and I rang the doorbell.

"Cassie!" my Uncle John said enthusiastically as the door opened and I found myself pulled into a bear hug in my uncle's arms. I hugged him back after I got past the shock of the surprise attack.

"Hey, Uncle John, good to see you," I said and our hug was released.

He ruffled the top of my hair. "How are you, kid?"

"I'm doing good," I answered.

"Nope, Superman does good, you do well," he joked. Not the grammar jokes, I mentally cringed but laughed anyway. He was goofy like that. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh right, Uncle John this is Wally West," I said.

Uncle John held out his hand and shook Wally's. "Nice to meet you, Wally," he said and the two boys shared a grin.

"Likewise," Wally said.

"Well don't just stand out on the porch, come on in," Uncle John said. He moved aside and let us into the house. It was just as I remembered it, just messier. I guess that happens when you have a house with three kids.

My Uncle John had always been like a second father to me. When he is around his family he is goofy and the class clown. But he can also be dead serious when he wants to be. Most people underestimate him because of his sense of humor but he's actually a highly trained neurosurgeon. With twelve years of medical experience to back him up, he's highly respected at the hospital he works at in Gotham.

My Aunt Sara came into the front room drying her hands on a dish towel. "Oh Cassie, you're here! Why didn't you tell me, John?"

"She just got here," Uncle John said with a shrug.

Sara and I hugged and greeted each other. She turned towards Wally with a smile. "You must be Wally."

"Yes ma'am," he said.

"Dinner will be ready soon," Sara said as she glanced back towards the kitchen.

Before Wally could even ask what was cooking three little kids came running into the room and hugged me around the legs.

"Cassie's here!" they shouted.

There were the twins, Max and James, who were both five years old. And then there was little Anna who was almost four years old.

"Hey guys! I missed you!" I said energetically. I really had missed them. My little cousins were like the younger siblings I never had.

"Come play super hero with us," Max said begging. He was still holding onto my leg.

"Why don't you guys give her a chance to settle in first. I'm sure Wally would love to play with you though," Uncle John said.

"Sure would," Wally said happily.

Max and James's faces lit up with joy. "Come on!" James said pulling Wally by the shirt. The two boys led Wally to the play room and Anna wobbled after them.

"Cute as always," I said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, enjoy it, they're growing up fast. Anyway, I'll show you your room," Uncle John said. Even though I persisted against it he took my bag and carried it up the stairs.

He opened the door to the guest room and set my bag down on the bed. The walls were an egg shell white, the bed was covered in a fluffy white comforter, and there was a silver dresser in the corner. Against the wall was a door that opened to the closet. It was a lot nicer than the room I was in at my Uncle Ben's and Aunt Audrey's.

"Thanks again for letting me stay here. I really appreciate it," I told Uncle John and I meant it. I loved it here because their house was filled with a loving atmosphere.

"Don't mention it; we're glad to have you. Sara and I barely get to see you as it is and you know how the kids love to play with you."

"Any time you need a babysitter, I'd be glad to watch them," I offered.

"Thanks, we appreciate it. Even when I'm on call the hospital is usually asking me to come in. Speaking of that, I have a night shift tonight. I'm sorry I won't be back until tomorrow," John apologized.

"It's ok. After all, you've got lives to save," I said with a wink.

"You bet," he said with a light laugh. Then we both heard a light thud coming from downstairs. "You might want to go check on Wally. The kids get a bit enthusiastic when they're playing super hero."

"I'm on it," I said. I left the room and found my way to the play room. There I spotted Wally on the ground with his arms and legs tied up with a jump rope.

"And I almost got away with it! I'll get you next time!" Wally said dramatically in his best villain voice.

"My my my, looks like the twins have saved the day again, huh?"

"Of course! I'm Batman!" Max said triumphantly.

"And I'm Robin!" James exclaimed.

I turned to Anna, "And who are you?"

"I'm Wonderwoman!" Anna said with a cry of joy.

"Wow, they really tied you up good," I said tugging at the jump rope, "Then again I'm not surprised. The twins are boy scouts."

"Ok, villains need blood circulation too. These ropes need to come off," Wally said as he began to untangle himself.

"Let's play more!" Anna cheered.

Sara poked her head into the play room. "You'll have to wait. Dinner's ready."

"Food!" Wally said happily and quickly got out of the ropes. A little bit of super speed may have been at play but the kids didn't seem to notice. Like ducklings they followed Wally out of the room and to the dinner table.

We sat down to a dinner of pizza and fresh salad. Wally was already cramming food into his mouth by the time I sat down.

"Wally," I chortled.

"No, it's fine, it makes me happy to see someone enjoy my cooking," Sara said smiling. She began to pour glasses of water and set them down on the table.

"This is delicious," Wally praised.

"Thank you," Sara said back. "It seems like the kids really enjoy playing with you, Wally."

Wally chuckled, "I don't mean to brag, but kids love me. I don't know why, but I've always had a way with kids."

"Maybe it's because you act like a kid," I said.

"Hey!" Wally exclaimed and the children laughed.

"I didn't mean that as an insult, just that you're a child at heart. Psychology shows kids like to associate themselves with others that are similar to themselves. You have a friendly childlike nature so kids feel comfortable around you," I explained.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," Wally said with a smile.

It was nice to sit down to a nice family dinner. We shared casual conversation, Wally made jokes, and somewhere in the middle the two trouble makers Max and James started a mini food fight. All in all it was a good dinner. Afterwards Anna was put to sleep, the twins were watching tv, and Wally and I helped Sara clean up from dinner.

* * *

Dr. John Knight blended into the crowd of busy nurses and doctors as he made his way towards the receptionist's desk.

"What do you have for me tonight, Carry?" he asked the main receptionist in charge of incoming patient files.

"Good evening Doctor Knight. Let's see, we have eight year old patient coming in for regular chemotherapy, a teenager with a head injury most likely needing stiches, and man with an injured ankle. Your pick."

"Alrighty then, I'll start with the stiches, check in with the injured ankle to see how severe, and then make my way to chemo," Doctor Knight said.

"Have a good one," Carry said handing him the patient file.

"Thanks," he said taking it. Doctor Knight made his way to the second floor where the teenager was waiting for a doctor.

The teenager wasn't alone when he got to a patient room. The patient was surrounded by three other friends. The teenager with the head injury was holding up a blood soaked piece of cloth up to his head. Doctor Knight looked down at the boy's torn t shirt and he could predict where the piece of cloth came from.

Doctor Knight went to the sink to wash his hands. "Ok boys, how did this happen?" he asked over his shoulder.

"I was trying to show them a new trick I learned. Aerial back tuck gone wrong. I can do it, but we were hanging around Gotham harbor and I didn't see the rocks…" the injured teen said with a wince.

Doctor Knight slipped on gloves and glanced down at the boy's chart. "Well," he glanced at the paper work, "Ed, you're definitely going to need stiches."

"How do you know? You haven't even seen it yet," Ed said mystified. The bloody cloth was still covering the head injury.

"Call it doctor's intuition," he responded.

Truth was the Knight family had a long history of super powered genes. His brother Mark had super strength, and Mark's wife Isabella had flight. John had super powers too. Along with x-ray vision he also had enhanced senses such as hearing and touch. He had already used his x-ray vision to check Ed's head injury.

"Dude, your parents are going to kill you. There's no way you'll be home in an hour," one of Ed's friends said.

"I'll do my best to get you on your way," Doctor Knight said. He got out the medical supplies he needed to give Ed stiches and sterilized the needle. He then removed the bloody cloth from Ed's head and cleaned the wound.

"Ouch, man, that stings!" Ed hissed.

"Sorry," Doctor Knight said with a light chuckle then gave him the anesthetic. Next came the needle. "How long did it take you to learn the aerial back tuck?" he asked trying to distract the boy from the needle.

"Two weeks," Ed answered. "Johnny here wishes he could do it, but it will probably take him three weeks minimum."

"Well maybe once I learn it I won't smack my head on some rocks," Johnny bantered back.

"Touché, bro. I didn't know it was so slippery. My parental units are going to blow a fuse," Ed said with a gulp.

"Parents tend to do that. You probably don't believe it, but they only nag you because they care," Doctor Knight said. His hands moved nimbly and precisely to deliver the stiches.

Ed scoffed, "You don't know my parents. They want me to be this super smart scholar who goes off to college and gets a fancy degree. They want me to be a genius like my sister, Juliet. But that's not me. I want to be an actor. Specifically a stunt man. My parents don't support my career choice at all."

Most doctors would ask their patients to keep quiet and be still while they were stitching, but Doctor Knight could handle it. Anyway, if Ed's rambling took his mind off the fact that he was getting stitches, Doctor Knight was okay with it.

"Ah, I get the picture now. All you can really do is present your career choice to your parents in a mature way. Do some research. Find a way to prove to them it's a real job and not just a joke. They might take you more seriously if you show them you've put serious thought into it."

"Unfortunately I might not even get to that point. If I'm not home on time they'll find out what happened. Then they'll never take me seriously," Ed said with a long sigh.

"Well then it's a good thing, I'm, all," Doctor Knight paused as he tied the last stitch, "done."

"That was quick," Johnny commented. "How many are there?"

"32. Now Ed here's the deal. No strenuous physical activity for the next 48 hours. After 48 hours you still need to take it easy. I don't want you opening up those stitches again. Take Tylenol for any pain once the anesthesia wears off. You don't seem to have a concussion but if you start to get any headaches or any other head pains I want you to give me a call."

"Thanks doc," Ed said. He slowly lowered himself down from the medical bed.

"Dude, how are you going to slip by your parents? You're head has stitches and your shirt is a torn bloody mess. And I'm pretty sure climbing through the window counts as strenuous activity," Johnny whispered.

"Think fast," Doctor Knight said as he threw a baseball cap and shirt towards Johnny. "Baseball caps are still hip, right?" he joked.

Johnny handed Ed the shirt and hat. "Thanks Doctor K, we owe you one," Ed said with a smile.

"Don't mention it. Now get going before your parents notice you're late."

The boys quickly scampered out of the room. John smiled to himself with satisfaction. If it weren't for his powers, Ed would have never made it home on time. Between the time it would take for a CAT scan, x-ray, and stitches, any other doctor would have taken hours. But because of his abilities he was able to do it in a fourth of the time.

John's cell phone began to ring and he quickly snapped it open and held it up to his ear. "Doctor John Knight, Gotham General," he answered.

"John, it's Mark, how are you doing?" his brother Mark asked from the other line. John's face lit up with joy at hearing the sound of his brother's voice.

"Mark! I'm doing great, how have you and Isabella been?" he asked back. It was a bit hard to hear his brother through the phone. There was the howling and whipping sound of wind in the background.

"We're doing just fine, thanks. Actually, I called to tell you we're heading to Gotham right now. We were in the country and thought we'd drop by."

That made sense. The wind must be from them flying. Or at least Isabella flying while holding onto Mark.

"Really? That's great news. Cassandra will be so happy to see you guys."

"About that, don't tell her yet. We want it to be a surprise. We have another surprise as well. We're going to be staying in Gotham for a while. Maybe even take a break from the whole Marvoman and Marvowoman gig. At least until this Luthor situation has been sorted out. We want to make sure our daughter is safe."

"I get where you're coming from. Anyway—" he was cut off by his beeper going off. "Sorry Mark I got to cut you short. A spot just opened up for the x-ray machine."

"Like you need that," Mark joked.

"It's all about keeping up with appearances. You know how that is," John said back.

"All too well little brother. Go save some lives, we'll see you tomorrow."

"You two take care. See you tomorrow," John said then hung up. John left the room and walked to the x-ray quarters. His next patient, a 60 year old male with an injured ankle, was waiting for him.

"Hello Mr. Duncan, what seems to be the problem tonight?" Doctor Knight asked.

"What seems to be the problem? That's the thing with you doctors! It's always what _seems_ to be the problem, or, what _appears_ to be the problem. As if I'm so stupid I can only take a meager guess at what might be wrong. Well let's see. It _appears_ I was playing softball with the boys when I twisted my ankle the wrong way. It doesn't hurt like a sprain so it's either badly fractured or broken," the grumpy man said crossing his arms.

Doctor Knight was generally surprised by the man's little outburst. It was just a simple question doctors asked their patients to get down to the root of the problem. He had no idea that the question had ever offended anyone.

"I'm sorry if the question offended you. I'll do my best to get you on your way to a healed ankle," Doctor Knight said. Occasionally he had to deal with patients like Mr. Duncan. Patients that are outspoken, rude, and grumpy. Doctor Knight did his best not to judge these kinds of patients too harshly. He liked to think they only acted this way because they were in pain.

He quickly got the iron vest around Mr. Duncan and carefully propped Mr. Duncan's leg up on the x-ray table.

"Just hold still," he advised.

Mr. Duncan scoffed, "Like I've never had one of these before!"

Although he didn't need the x-ray to tell him Mr. Duncan's ankle was fractured, he needed to keep up appearances. Doctor Knight posted the x-ray sheet up on the backlit board.

"You were right, Mr. Duncan, your ankle has three small fractures. Here, here, and one more right here," Doctor Knight pointed out on the x-ray.

"See, I told you. This hospital sure likes to waste money on tests," Mr. Duncan muttered.

John tried to keep his cool. "Well knowing the problem is only half the battle. It's important to know the exact spots where the fracture is so that the cast is put on correctly."

John grabbed a pad of paper and wrote down the information the next doctor would need to put the cast on Mr. Duncan's ankle.

"I'm going to send you down to Doctor Mallory. She will take good care of you and get a cast on that ankle. Afterwards you'll most likely have to stay in a wheel chair until your ankle is healed. Is there someone at home who can help you adjust? A wife or child maybe?"

"My wife is dead," Mr. Duncan griped.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'm not!" Mr. Duncan grunted back.

Doctor Knight rubbed the back of his neck as he began to feel quite uncomfortable with his outspoken patient. "Do you have any neighbors that would be willing to check in on you?"

"Sure sure, just give me the slip and I'll be on my way. Gosh, you don't need my life story," Mr. Duncan said and snatched the slip out of John's hand. He wobbled away before Doctor Knight could get him a wheelchair or direct him to where Doctor Mallory's office was.

Shaking his head John headed back to the receptionist's desk to pick up the file for his eight year old patient waiting to receive chemotherapy. When he got down to the main floor the hospital was a mess. Doctors and nurses were rushing back and forth. A gurney was being rushed across the room towards the elevators and multiple codes were being called over the intercom. Specific doctor's names were called to the twelfth floor.

"Carry, what's going on here?" Doctor Knight asked the receptionist.

"Something's going on. We're still trying to get information from the paramedics. All I know so far is that two patients are being airlifted to the hospital as we speak," Carry answered.

**"Plan blue on surgical floor twelve. All doctors, nurses, and surgeons to surgical floor twelve," the intercom blared.**

"I gotta go!" Doctor Knight shouted over the chaos and ran for the stairs. The elevators would be backed up so he took the stairs instead. It was a good thing he wore his running shoes today. It would be twelve floors worth of stairs to sprint up.

John knew what a plan blue meant in hospital code. It indicated the arrival of a trauma patient so critically injured that even the short delay of a stop in the ER for evaluation could be fatal. The odds of saving a patient when a plan blue was called were very low…

Doctor Knight burst through the doors of the surgical room but fell short and froze when he caught sight of the two patients being prepped for surgery. There was a sea of doctors and nurses but all he could stare at were the two lifeless bodies on the surgical table.

"You're acting like you've never seen blood before. Get a move on, Doctor Knight, we don't have time to stall," a nurse urged him. He nodded and approached the unconscious forms of Marvoman and Marvowoman.

* * *

The team had been sitting around the mountain bored out of their minds ever since Cassandra and Wally had left. Superboy had agreed to a training session with Black Canary, Robin was reconfiguring the settings on his tech, and the rest were watching mindless tv.

"Team, report for mission briefing," Batman's voice came over the intercom.

"Yes, a mission!" Artemis said jumping up to her feet. She could use something to do. The team came together in the mission room where Batman was waiting for them.

"The two superheroes Marvoman and Marvowoman have been attacked by an assassin. They are in highly critical condition at Gotham General Hospital," Batman reported.

"What!" Robin gasped in shock. "How did an assassin do that much damage and what were Marvoman and Marvowoman doing in Gotham?"

"The assassin knew of their weakness. The heroes were coming in for a visit. Their acquaintance X-Ray is treating them at the hospital."

"The Marvoman and Marvowoman have a weakness?" Miss Martian asked.

"Yes, but for important reasons that information has not been made public," Batman said sternly. Ok, so Robin knew what their weakness was, but he also knew what everyone's weaknesses were. Just like Batman.

"Then our mission is to find the assassin responsible?" Kaldur asked.

"No, that is the job of the Justice League."

"Then what's our mission?" Superboy asked.

Batman pulled up a criminal file on the screen. "A thief, recognized as Rebel, has been spotted breaking into Wayne Enterprises. It's essential that you stop him before any damage is done."

"Just a side mission while the Justice League takes care of the real mission," Superboy grunted.

"Actually, a lot of damage can be done if the thief walks away with anything from Wayne Enterprises," Robin whispered to Superboy. Robin knew what kind of technology Wayne Enterprise really had hidden from the public. Not to mention how much of the Watch Tower tech came from Wayne Enterprises.

"Robin will be leading this mission," Batman said to the shock of the other members.

"Why Robin?" Artemis asked. "Aqualad is our leader."

"Only for this mission. I had previously assigned Robin to memorize the layout of Wayne Enterprises. His knowledge of the layout will assist you in finding the thief."

Miss Martina returned to the mission room but only Robin had noticed she left. "The bioship is ready," she said. Batman nodded giving the signal for the team to leave for their mission.

The team walked to the hanger but Batman held Robin back for a moment.

"There's something you wanted to say?" Batman asked.

Robin took in a short breath. "It's just… the prophecy. Two will die."

"Marvoman and Marvowoman," Batman stated what he expected Robin was thinking.

"Yeah," Robin sighed, "I've been thinking about the prophecies a lot and now this happens. What if it means they're the ones to die?"

"The league will take care of this. Your team has a mission. Make that your top priority," he said.

Robin nodded then ran off to the jet hanger where the rest of the team was waiting for him. Robin wanted to ask Batman more about his mission at Wayne Enterprises and why he was put in charge. Robin knew the building inside and out, but putting him in charge of the mission wasn't necessary. Not to mention it was just another opportunity for someone to link Robin to Dick Grayson.

There was an unsettling silence in the bioship. M'gann flew the bioship the short distance to Wayne Enterprises yet no one had talked yet.

"Wally's going to flip when he finds out he missed a mission," Artemis joked in attempts to lighten the mood. It fell flat and the rest of the trip was in silence. Robin took out his holographic computer and followed the security footage from Wayne Enterprises to get a lock on where the thief was heading.

M'gann landed the bioship on the roof of Wayne Enterprises. Glowing white words spelled out Wayne. The team went into stealth mode and entered the building from the roof.

"Here's the plan. The thief is in the main storage room. There are five different entrances to this room. We're all going to split up. This way when we enter we can surround the thief from all angles. Aqualad, North entrance, Artemis South, Superboy West, Miss M take the East. I'll drop down from the air ducts above. Does this work for you, Aqualad?"

"Yes, let us be going then," Aqualad said. "Miss Martian, please establish a telepathic link."

_"Link is online," Miss Martin said._

_ "Good, remember, we need to stay in stealth mode. Any communication should be done by mental link," Robin reminded the team._

_ "Let's go then," Superboy thought. _He just wanted to start the mission already.

The mission started as planned. Each member made their way towards the center point which was the main storage room. Miss Martian was making fast progress with her ability to fly. Robin's instructions had been to go straight. He had told them in the bioship that the paths he had routed for them could only go straight. That's why Miss Martian was confused when she came to a three way intersection of doors.

_"Robin, I've come to three different paths. Which do I take?" Miss Martian asked over the mental link._

_ "What do you mean three different paths? I know this building. The East wing only goes straight," Robin reported back._

_ "Looks like you don't know the building as well as you think you do," Artemis said_

_ "I know the building. Wait.. Miss Martian, it's a trap!" Robin shouted over the mental link. _

It was too late though. Miss Martian had decided to go straight as instructed. She opened the door and the room burst into flames. It was a trap. She should have known something was wrong when Robin's plans were faltered.

The walls were brightly licked with flames and Miss Martian was surrounded by the fire. Her legs buckled under her and she fell to the ground. She tried to get up but it felt like the room was spinning around in circles.

_"M'gann!" Superboy shouted over the mental link. "I'm coming." _

_ "Wait, Superboy—" _Aqualad started to say but didn't get to finish as the mental link was broken.

Robin continued to make his way through the air ducts. The fire detectors would pick up the smoke and put the fire out, wouldn't they? Unless the thief had hacked into the systems and turned them off… Robin gritted his teeth in frustration. Either way Superboy and Aqualad were heading towards Miss Martian now. Fire wasn't a very good combination for Aqualad either. What were they thinking!

The entire mission was falling apart already and they haven't even found the thief yet. Robin's only choice was to trust Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Superboy would be ok while Artemis and himself took out the thief.

Artemis traveled through the building from the South wing. Her confidence in the mission was starting to deteriorate. Miss Martian was caught in a trap, Superboy and Aqualad abandoned their positions to help her, and now their mental link was offline. But now that something had happened to Miss Martian Artemis was on high alert. The thief was good, and from the looks of it he didn't want anyone interfering any time soon.

The building was like a maze to Artemis. It seemed like an entire hour had gone by and she was still a few rooms away from the main storage area. There was a fire escape map on the wall that Artemis used to map out how much further she had to go. Usually she would just ask Robin, but their mental link was offline. That wasn't a good sign either. It meant that Miss Martian was either still unconscious or hadn't had the chance to link them up again.

The map on the wall showed Artemis she was only two rooms away from where the thief was. That small fact was enough to give her some motivation to push forward. She grabbed the door knob of the door in front of her but when she turned it the knob made a strange clicking noise. Immediately Artemis jumped back and held her bow and arrow ready to shoot.

The door flew open along with metal darts shooting out of thin air. Artemis quickly dove to the side and aimed her bow at them. She pulled out a trick explosive arrow and shot it in the middle of the oncoming darts. That wasn't the end of the attack. The entire room was booby-trapped and every step Artemis took seemed to set off more attacks.

"You didn't say anything about booby-traps!" Artemis shouted even though Robin wouldn't hear her. Flying razor disks came out from the book shelf against the wall and flew towards Artemis's head. She shot a single arrow at the first disk which only shredded the arrow to dust. A bead of sweat dropped down from Artemis's forehead. So these disks weren't the cheap kind.

Artemis weaved and dove throughout the room to dodge the attacks from the razor disks. She took a poly trick arrow from her quiver and shot it at the book shelf. The foamy red substance oozed over the book shelf and stopped more disks from entering the room. She still had to deal with the three disks that were already chasing her.

Artemis grabbed a book off the shelf and waited for just the right moment. The disk flew at her and once it was a few inches away she threw the book at it. The thick binding of the book jammed the razor blades in the disk. The disk felt to the floor with a clank.

"I hope no one needed that book," Artemis muttered. She grabbed two arrows and crouched down ready to take on the last two disks. The first dove down towards her feet and the second came at her head from above. She waited until the last seconds to dive in between them and then shot her two explosive arrows. The arrows short circuited the disks ending their reign of terror.

Now there was just one door separating her from beating the living daylights out of the thief. She grabbed the door knob this time ready for any traps that might spring. Except the door knob wouldn't turn. It was locked.

"No matter, I've always wanted to do this," Artemis said with a snicker. She backed up a few feet and threw a strong flying side kick to the door. With a thud the door fell to the ground.

A teenage boy dressed in all black and a black and red mask sat in a chair starring at Artemis. "Now was that really necessary?" he asked.

"Were the booby-traps really necessary?" Artemis bantered back with a corked eye brow.

The thief stood up. "Yes, unfortunately they were. I honestly didn't think your friends would be stupid enough to fall for them though. You learn something new every day. Oh, and Robin, you can come down now," he said looking up towards the air ducts.

Robin dropped down with a look of disappointment on his face. He had been waiting for the right moment to drop down and take the thief by surprise. But his plan had just been spoiled.

"It seems proper introductions are in order. I go by Rebel. Annnnnd that's about it. I have what I want so I think I'll just be going now," he said holding up three computer chips.

"Going already? But we haven't even introduced ourselves yet. I think we should teach him some manners, don't you think, Robin?" Artemis said cocking an arrow into her bow.

"Yeah, starting with why you shouldn't take things that don't belong to you," Robin said. He held an explosive disk behind his back. Robin walked forward as Artemis did and they slowly began to corner him.

"Sorry kiddos, but I don't have time to play," Rebel said throwing down a smoke screen. Robin tossed his explosive disk into the wall of smoke. It sliced past Rebel by only an inch and exploded once it made contact with the wall.

"Nice try, but I can still see just fine," Artemis said running through the smoke screen and shooting arrows towards Rebel.

Rebel gracefully did three back handsprings to avoid being hit by the arrows. Robin came up behind Rebel and threw a punch towards the back of his head.

Rebel quickly ducked under the punch. "Too slow, kid."

Robin hated the way he called him kid. And he wasn't slow! Robin's leg came up in a high kick towards Rebel's shoulders. The first kick connected with Rebel's right shoulder but when the second kick came up Rebel grabbed Robin's leg and threw him to the ground.

"Better luck next time," he taunted.

Artemis sprung from her spot and shot a volley of arrows at Rebel. The first three were regular arrows, and a distraction. Rebel took the bait and knocked down the first three unprepared for the fourth and fifth which were trick arrows. The fourth arrow hit Rebel's chest and expanded into a layer of ice. The fifth released a steel infused net.

"How cute, you really thought this would hold me?" Rebel goaded. There was a flash of light and Rebel was transported onto the other side of the room.

"Now I get it. You were intimated by the other heroes because they have powers. So you narrowed it down to Artemis and me because we don't have any," Robin reasoned.

Rebel appeared behind Robin. "Maybe, or maybe regardless of powers you two are just the easiest to take down," he said throwing a kick at Robin's back. Robin broke his fall with a roll and did a kip up to get back on his legs.

His anger was starting to take over and from his lessons with Batman he knew he was never supposed to fight angry. But he couldn't help it, Rebel was just so irritating. Robin charged at Rebel in blind fury. His fast kicks weren't precise and Rebel was easily able to block them.

"Sloppy, can't you at least try? I'm getting bored here," Rebel said with a yawn then jumped over a low kick sent by Robin.

"Shut up!" Robin shouted and threw a punch at Rebel's face. Caught off guard by Robin's sudden punch Rebel stumbled backwards holding where his nose would be on his mask.

"You seriously need to get traught," Artemis hissed. She had been watching Robin fight and could tell he was being impulsive. "Don't let him get to you, that's what he wants."

"If he thinks he's walking out of here with those computer chips, he's crazy," Robin growled. He was ready to break into another fight with Rebel when the rest of the team arrived. Miss Martian looked worn out but she was still able to fly. Aqualad and Superboy looked like they were ready to bash in Rebel's mask.

"Well well, it's a party now," Rebel said. Superboy could pick up on the slight waiver of his voice. Rebel could take on Artemis and Robin, but with the addition of Superboy, Aqualad, and Miss Martian he was beginning to feel threatened.

"I'm giving you ten seconds to **leave**," Superboy threatened menacingly.

Rebel sighed and threw the computer chips on the ground. "Another time then. Ta ta, Young Justice," he said with a small salute. He then disappeared in a flash of bright light.


	8. Chapter 8

Dear Readers,

I am so very sorry for the lack of updates in the past month. I promise I haven't forgotten about the story I've just been really busy lately. My schedule is starting to slow down though so I promise there will be a new chapter up by next week. Thanks to all those who have read and reviewed It's very much appreciated.

In response to your review Amelia Delling: Wow, I can't even believe someone actually brought this up! It was about 2 years ago when I wrote Panic in the Teen Titans section. The story was around 90k words when I stopped writing. Between school/work all that jazz (and writer's block) I kinda gave up on it. Then Young Justice came around and instead of trying to continue Panic, I used the same concept but for Young Justice characters. Angeline Santoro became Cassandra Knight. I altered the personality a bit and got rid of the anxiety issue. Dr. Santoro became Dr. Knight but he'll serve the same purpose. Xavier turned into Aaron, high school turned into Gotham Academy, Titan's Tower turned into the cave. Marvoman and Marvowoman face the same fate and Death Stroke/ Slade will play a big role in the end. I just wanted to clear this up that it was one of my previous stories and that I'm not a copycat. Thank you so much for your review and for reading, Amelia Delling!

Sincerely,

YJWriter


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